SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is continuing in his efforts to help fight the spread of the coronavirus, recently delivering masks to US Hospitals that have been faced with medical supply shortages from the COVID-19 outbreak.
As an initial first step, 50,000 N95 surgical masks were delivered to the home of Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf, on Sunday, March 22, courtesy of Musk and Tesla. The donation was arranged in a matter of hours, with more on the way to other medical facilities.
Thanks for taking delivery in your garage! Let us know if there’s anything else you need.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 23, 2020
With the number of cases of COVD-19 rising along with the number of people admitted to the hospital, medical staff are being forced to ration their personal protection equipment (PPE). This means that they may wear the same gown and mask all day, instead of changing it frequently. These kinds of practices are not safe and are something that Musk and Tesla are trying to mitigate.
Musk pledged to deliver an initial 250,000 masks to help medical professionals that have been crippled by equipment shortages in their local hospitals. The most critical piece of PPE. N95 masks are typically used in construction and manufacturing (as well as the medical field) because they block out all airborne particles and liquid that could contaminate the face. This is in stark contrast to the disposable cloth surgical masks, which really only protect the wearer from large droplets, allowing smaller particles like from a cough or sneeze to come through.
I want to publicly thank @elonmusk for sending a truckload of PPEs (masks, gowns, etc.) to UCLA Health today! They will be put to good use. My wife, her co-workers and her patients thank you profusely. pic.twitter.com/SiAdqMcPCT
— Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) March 22, 2020
In addition to the masks, Musk says that Tesla has been working on ventilators and is expected to have around 1,200 to donate this week. Musk noted that the most difficult part of that task is getting the ventilators delivered and installed.
To facilitate the manufacturing of these life-saving machines, on Sunday the FDA decided to wave typical regulations that would require new manufacturers to wait for FDA approval to build or modify a ventilator. Along with Tesla, GM and Ford have also been given approval to get to work on the much-needed equipment.
But that’s not all, Musk has said that his company is also working on other types of PPE, so in the near future perhaps we could see deliveries of gowns and more.
PLEASE SHARE: UCSF frontline #covid19 care providers are in urgent need of critical supplies such as masks, disposable gloves & more. You can drop off donations at 3 sites in San Francisco and Oakland starting Monday, 3/23.
More info ➡️ https://t.co/vwNQwUx12Y #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/1Y8pISHpfA— UC San Francisco (@UCSF) March 22, 2020
In December, a new strain of coronavirus, called SARS-COV-2 spread across China. The virus causes a disease called COVID-19, which attacks the respiratory system of a person. COVID-19 symptoms are similar to the seasonal flu and can include dry cough, fever, and shortness of breath. The severity of symptoms varies from person-to-person.
Most will experience a mild to moderate case which could feel like a severe case of the flu. Common symptoms include the feeling of being tired, achy, and often times accompanied by a high fever. But some cases are much worse and require hospitalization.
