US Ventilator Stockpile 'At Full Capacity'

On September 2, 2020, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that 'the national stockpile of ventilators has now reached its maximum capacity, with nearly 120,000 units available for deployment to state and local health officials, if and when needed.'

One source of these ventilators was General Motors and Ventec Life Systems, which announced they delivered its 30,000th V+Pro critical care ventilator to the HHS on September 1, 2020.

Additionally, HHS confirmed it was terminating contracts with ventilator manufacturers Hamilton Medical and Vyaire Medical for 38,000 additional ventilators that had been scheduled for delivery to the National Strategic Stockpile by the end of 2020, reported the AP.

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a worldwide shortage of ventilators that were used to treat severe, hospitalized patients. Since then, the U.S. CDC has determined how best to allocate ventilators to optimize patient care.