Coronavirus

Projected Ventilator Demand ‘Outstrips the Capacity' of National Stockpile, FEMA Tells Congress

The information was released by members of the House Oversight Committee

Staff work in a ventilator refurbishing assembly line at Bloom Energy in Sunnyvale, Calif. on Saturday, March 28, 2020.
Beth LaBerge/KQED via AP, Pool

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials told members of Congress earlier this week that the projected demand for ventilators required for coronavirus-stricken patients "outstrips the capacity" of the Strategic National Stockpile, the House Oversight Committee said Thursday.

In a March 30 meeting, FEMA officials told members of the Democratic-led committee that there were 9,500 ventilators left in the Strategic National Stockpile, with another 3,200 expected to be acquired by April 13, the panel's Democrats said in a release.

That would fall far short of the amount requested in just New York State.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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