Approximately 880,000 more ventilators are in demand globally due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, according to an analysis by leading data and analytics company GlobalData. The US has a gap of 75,000 ventilators, while the 5EU (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK) are short of 74,000 in a mid-COVID-19 pandemic.
Tina Deng, Medical Devices analyst at GlobalData, comments, “Ventilator shortages are a crucial reality as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to worsen globally. All ventilator manufacturers have full order books and hold little in stock – receiving orders not only from regular customers such as hospitals but also directly from governments.
“Another major bottleneck contributing to the ventilator crisis is lack of trained clinicians. To deliver safe and appropriate patient care, healthcare providers need to achieve a thorough understanding of the mechanism of ventilation and operate equipment correctly. Current ventilation devices offer a complicated variety of modes and options, requiring a knowledgeable user. In many instances, insufficient training and education result in ineffective use of the devices and greatly threaten patient safety.”
