SA is in a race against time to build more than 15,000 ventilators in a matter of weeks to meet a predicted surge in Covid-19 cases.
The ventilator project, launched by trade & industry minister Ebrahim Patel on April 3, was driven by the need to produce non-invasive ventilators in SA amid a global surge in demand and resulting shortages.
Conventional ventilators require patients to be sedated and have a tube placed down their throats, with breathing controlled by the machine. Dr Kerrin Begg, public health specialist at Stellenbosch University, said global data showed that Covid-19 patients did not fare well on traditional ventilators and that the non-invasive machines produced promising results.
Medupi said the national ventilator project had been expedited in light of the crisis, but that safety was as much of a concern as haste. Rigorous testing was necessary to ensure the finished product was fit for purpose.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
BREAKING NEWS: 28 more Covid-19 deaths, SA now has over 20 000 casesBREAKING NEWS: South Africa now has over 20 000 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus and 28 more deaths, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Friday night. | Day57ofLockdown
Read more »
LOCKDOWN HEROES | Nominate your hero & you could each win an SA holiday worth R15,000We're celebrating beautiful SA and its people who have done so much for others during the Covid-19 lockdown
Read more »
LOCKDOWN HEROES | Nominate your hero & you could each win an SA holiday worth R15,000We're celebrating beautiful SA and its people who have done so much for others during the Covid-19 lockdown
Read more »
SA Lockdown: Karim says SA ready to move to Level 3Professor Salim Abdool Karim says the peak of infection can be lowered if we stick to social distancing and hand sanitising.
Read more »
Baby steps may save SA boxing, Loyiso Mtya saysWhile the boxing fraternity is waiting for the day when it is announced that all sports can resume, the million-dollar question for Loyiso Mtya is how boxing authorities will handle the fight game going forward.
Read more »
WATCH | Bianca Schoombee’s Miss SA entryThe model was on the rise to possibly becoming the next Miss SA but her old racist tweets dating back from 2014 quickly saw an end to that
Read more »