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upstart [soylentnews.org] writes:

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upstart [soylentnews.org] writes in with an IRC submission for Bytram:

Elon Musk says his companies will make ventilators as coronavirus causes shortage [cnet.com]:

Elon Musk offered to make ventilators [twitter.com] as hospitals facing shortages due to the coronavirus outbreak [cbsnews.com], after a Twitter follower asked that he repurpose his factory to do so. However, the Tesla [cnet.com] and SpaceX [cnet.com] boss also noted that it'll take time.

Nate Silver, the editor of statistics and polling-focused news site FiveThirtyEight, pressed him [twitter.com] for details.

"Tesla makes cars with sophisticated hvac systems. SpaceX makes spacecraft with life support systems," Musk replied [twitter.com]. "Ventilators are not difficult, but cannot be produced instantly."

Silver praised Musk and noted that hospitals in New York City and Seattle "are in acute danger," then suggested medical facilities in need should tweet him and Musk.

The new strain of coronavirus, which can develop into a respiratory illness known as COVID-19 [cnet.com], was discovered in Wuhan, China, in December. It's now infected more than 218,000 people [cnet.com] and caused more than 8,800 deaths globally. The US has more than 9,400 confirmed cases.

Hospitals have warned that they're not prepared [cbsnews.com] for the expected influx of coronavirus patients, and the US Department of Defense is donating 5 million surgical masks and 2,000 ventilators.

Musk drew criticism [cnet.com] earlier this month when he tweeted that panicking over the coronavirus is "dumb."

Tesla didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

Original Submission