Tesla is starting to distribute the promised ventilators and medical supplies to hospitals that need them to treat coronavirus patients.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted on March 25 that he would redirect Tesla to start making much-needed hospital supplies like face masks and ventilators. Hospitals in the UCLA Health network and the NYC Health and Hospitals Network have so far received donations from Tesla.
Glad we can help! We’re sending masks and supplies to as many hospitals as we can.
— Tesla (@Tesla) March 22, 2020
Happy we could be helpful! More available if needed.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 31, 2020
It seems like Musk is prioritizing New York hospitals as the city has the highest numbers of confirmed coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, in the country. Musk tweeted on Tuesday, March 31 that Tesla will ship the FDA-approved ventilators completely for free within the company’s delivery regions near their factories.
We have extra FDA-approved ventilators. Will ship to hospitals worldwide within Tesla delivery regions. Device & shipping cost are free. Only requirement is that the vents are needed immediately for patients, not stored in a warehouse. Please me or @Tesla know.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 31, 2020
Last week, Musk said that he planned to reopen the Buffalo, New York Tesla gigafactory to produce ventilators. It is unclear if the factory has in fact been reopened yet, but hospitals are starting to receive these ventilators.
Digital Trends reached out to Tesla to comment on its medical supply production and how many other hospitals the company has helped so far. We will update this story when we hear back.
Hospitals across the country are facing a shortage of essential medical supplies like face masks, ventilators, goggles, and more as the number of coronavirus cases skyrockets.
Musk’s other company, SpaceX, has also reportedly made and donated face masks and protective suits to Cedars Sinai hospital, which is located in California near the company’s headquarters.
Other tech companies have stepped in to offer similar services to provide healthcare workers and hospitals the supplies and devices they need to treat coronavirus patients properly. Companies like HP, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and Ford are working to help create and donate medical supplies to prevent the rapid spread of coronavirus.
The World Health Organization officially declared the coronavirus a pandemic in March.
For the latest updates on the novel coronavirus outbreak, visit the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 page.
