UK government sourcing more ventilators cabinet office minister Michael Gove says, after 708 deaths confirmed from coronavirus yesterday – the highest daily total for the country so far
Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove said 708 new UK deaths from coronavirus showed the importance of maintaining social distancing and continuing with the lockdown.
At today's Downing Street briefing Mr Gove also said a partnership between University College London and Mercedes Benz was to produce 1000 non-invasive ventilators a day by next week and that procurement of invasive ventilators is underway – with 300 having already arrived from China.
Of those hospitalised with coronavirus in the UK the total number of deaths now stands at 4330.
Mr Gove said: “I know that life under lockdown can be challenging and some will be tempted on this sunny weekend to venture out and about, but as the health secretary underlined yesterday, if we relax our adherence to the rules we increase the risk for others."
He also reiterated plans to build a number of new temporary hospitals in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Belfast, Glasgow, Harrogate and Manchester after the London Nightingale Hospital was opened yesterday – planned, constructed and staffed in just nine days.
On the matter of ventilators he said: “Effective non-invasive ventilation can ensure patients do not need to be placed on invasive ventilators where they are incubated to support breathing by machinery which takes oxygen direct into their lungs.
“We have secured new non-invasive capacity with the help of UK manufacturers who have worked at pace to develop new technologies. A team from University College London, working with Mercedes Benz, have produced a new device which has been clinically approved.
“They produced 250 yesterday, will produce the same number today and tomorrow, rising to 1000 a day next week. We’re also increasing the capacity of the NHS to deploy invasive ventilation – we've been buying invasive ventilators from partners abroad including Germany and Switzerland.
“And today 300 new ventilators arrived from China. I'd like to thank the Chinese government for their support in securing that capacity.”
