According to an announcement from the White House on Monday, 500 ventilators originated from California were shipped to Guam, the District of Columbia, the Northern Mariana Islands, Maryland, Nevada, and Delaware, says an article. This is in response to the growing COVID-19 cases in the country.

The Governor's Statement

The governor of California Gavin Newsom had announced that California will be sharing some of its ventilators to different US states. Ventilators are necessary tools that help patients who are having difficulties in breathing.

According to Newsom, New York may be one of the states that will receive their ventilators. However, he said that the federal government will decide where the ventilators will go.

According to Newsom, they are very proud to lend out the state's 500 ventilators to help other US states. However, he knows that there is still a need to get more ventilators.

Praising California for the Deed

US vice president Mike Pence praised California for this decision. He also announced that the ventilators will be sent after a briefing at the White House.

According to Pence, California had given exceptional leadership among its citizens. Also, he commented that the state is making progress with its battle against COVID-19.

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The other States that Shared their Ventilators to Others

Newsom's decision to lend out California's ventilators to other states came after Oregon and Washington made similar moves by sending out ventilators to New York.

Governor Jay Inslee of Washington shared that the state will be giving back 400 of the total 500 ventilators it received from the federal government. Inslee's stay-at-home order and social distancing implementation in the entire state had led to a decrease of COVID-19 cases in Washington. It was the first state in the United States to have the first serious outbreak of the current pandemic.

According to Governor Kate Brown of Oregon, 140 ventilators of Oregon will also be sent out to New York.

A Hunt for Ventilators

California had been on a constant hunt for ventilators to increase its supply in the past few weeks. Officials even requested for 10,000 ventilators from the national supply. However, it had received none.

Los Angeles received 170 ventilators from the supply. However, they were all non-functional. Approximately, California has 4,200 ventilators in addition to the ventilators in hospitals. It is expected that California will reach its peak of COVID-19 cases in the middle of May.

Repairing Broken Ventilators

Bloom Energy, a hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer, had allotted a portion of its production plants situated in Delaware and California to repair broken and old ventilators. As of Monday, it was able to repair a total of 1,000 ventilators. According to the spokesperson of the business, it can repair 2,000 ventilators every week.

Bridge Ventilators

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit had created a prototype for a 'bridge ventilator. This prototype is designed to assist patients to breathe before they can be put on a traditional ventilator. The company is yet to receive approval from the federal authorities before it can start its mass reproduction. The product was developed in partnership with researchers at the University of California.