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Governor: New York State Has Enough Ventilators to Last 6 Days

Margaret Besheer

   NEW YORK - New York's governor said Thursday that his state has enough
   ventilators to last about a week, as the number of confirmed
   coronavirus cases there nears 100,000.

   "At the current burn rate, we have about six days of ventilators in our
   stockpile," Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters in the state capital,
   Albany. "Meaning if the rate of usage, the rate of people coming into
   hospitals who need ventilators, if that rate continues, in our
   stockpile we have about six days."

   He cautioned that if cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the
   coronavirus, surge within that time frame, or if the anticipated number
   of cases at the peak exceeds projections or lasts longer, the state
   could face a shortage of breathing machines.

   The governor has been working with his team to purchase 30,000
   ventilators for his state of 19.5 million people. Half of them would be
   sent to New York City, which has about 60% of the state's virus cases.
   With worldwide demand surging, however, it has been difficult to get
   the number needed quickly enough.

   New York has been creative in trying to stretch its current supply of
   ventilators -- allowing them to be refitted to assist two patients
   simultaneously -- as well as converting anesthesia and BiPap machines,
   which also can push air into patients' lungs. The state has also
   canceled all non-emergency surgeries to free up existing ventilators.

   "So yes, the burn rate of ventilators is troubling and six days of
   ventilators in the stockpile is troubling," Cuomo said. "But we have
   all these extraordinary measures that I believe, if push comes to
   shove, will put us in fairly good shape."

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