COVID-19 pandemic: US cheers Indian engineers for building low-cost ventilator

Cheering the Indian engineers for building a low-cost ventilator, the US hopes that this invention succeeds and can eventually be mass produced as the critical medical equipment can save many lives from the deadly coronavirus that has killed over 5,000 people in America and 40,000 others globally.

The United States, which as per latest projections is expecting between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths due to the coronavirus, requires thousands of ventilators in the next few weeks. It has roped in 11 private sector companies, including car manufacturers and plane makers to build ventilators.

“We are cheering on these Indian engineers as they race to build a low-cost ventilator — a potential game-changer for COVID19,” Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice G Wells tweeted. With support from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers and production advice from a US-based company, “we hope this invention succeeds & can eventually be produced at scale,” Wells wrote.

According to the MIT, in the US alone, the COVID-19 pandemic may cause ventilator shortages of 300,000-700,000 units. An increase in conventional ventilator production is very likely to fall short and with significant associated costs.

Mass production of low-cost ventilators by a group of Indian engineers with the support from the MIT engineers and production advice from a US-based company, the US officials hope it would come as a big help to mankind which is racing against time in this fight against the deadly coronavirus.

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