Elon Musk announced on Twitter that both SpaceX and Tesla are working on ventilators which are in short supply as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
There are approximately 170,000 ventilators in the U.S. but demand could rise close to a million, the New York Times reported.
“Tesla makes cars with sophisticated hvac systems. SpaceX makes spacecraft with life support systems,” Musk tweeted. ” Ventilators are not difficult, but cannot be produced instantly.”
This is great news. I don’t know exactly which hospitals are most in need, but my understanding is NYC and Seattle hospitals are in acute danger. If you’re a hospital with a ventilator shortage or someone in a position to compile a list, please let @elonmusk and me know here. https://t.co/cecrQIj9GS
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) March 19, 2020
But Musk also added that he doesn’t believe the ventilators will be needed.
Could the same engineers/facilities used for X/S HEPA filters work on ventilators @elonmusk – are the skills/competencies/capacity transferable? Or would this be more likely to borrow from work of SpaceX on Crew Drago capsule’s life support system?
— Ed Ludlow (@EdLudlow) March 20, 2020
Musk has tweeted in the past that fear and panic are more dangerous than the coronavirus.
That said, danger of panic still far exceeds danger of corona imo. If we over-allocate medical resources to corona, it will come at expense of treating other illnesses. Track graph at bottom of this page: https://t.co/7nWKjiZyFn
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 17, 2020
Fear is the mind-killer
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 15, 2020
