China’s factories work 24/7 to build medical ventilators for Milan, New York amid spreading global Covid-19 pandemic

About a 40-minute drive to the east of China’s capital, Beijing Aeonmed has been working around the clock since January 20.

After meeting the country’s needs two weeks ago, its factory lines have been working flat out on orders from overseas for its life-saving ventilators. With three shifts and even research and development staff working the production line, the company’s machines have been going non-stop.

“There’s literally no country in the world that doesn’t want to buy a ventilator from China right now.” said Li Kai, director of Beijing Aeonmed, “We have tens of thousands of orders waiting. The issue is how fast we can make them.”

As the global death toll from the coronavirus crosses 15,000, doctors from Milan to New York are desperately seeking ventilators. In severe cases, the availability of a ventilator that can help a Covid-19 patient breathe can determine if he or she lives or dies. Late last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state, which has about 5,000 to 6,000 ventilators, might need 30,000 of them.

“It’s ventilators, ventilators, ventilators,” Cuomo told reporters. “That is the greatest need.” The state “has people in China shopping for ventilators,” he said.

Overall in the US, the Society of Critical Care Medicine estimates that 960,000 patients would need ventilator support due to Covid-19, but the nation only has about 200,000 such machines. In Italy, the country with the most number of fatalities from the pandemic, a severe ventilator shortage has forced doctors to triage patients.