Last I saw a total of 7 auto and aircraft companies in the US are starting to make the high end ventilators as well as some small companies making the simplified designs some people have come up with.

Duh! You clean and sterilize the CPAP frequently and change the little filter on the intake frequently. And other health people/institutes disagree with your linked article.

Besides how does the CPAP differ from just breathing out if the patient already has C****-**, other than a bit of a change in volume of air expelled? And I would assume the medical people giving the care are already taking precautions for themselves and also for the other patients.

If it is a case of "we haven't got the ventilators" so you are going to die and "maybe" a lesser machine or a CPAP can save you. I and most people will take the "maybe" any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

At the rate production is being started and expanded in a relatively short time it will be a moot point anyway.
The big question is will the politicians and more importantly the bureaucrats learn from this and keep domestic production capacity on line for general medical devices and supplies as well as create realistic stockpiles for fast response. Also they need to bring the medication/drug manufacturing process back and end the dependence on China.

I saw articles that several places that got Chinese test kits, masks etc found the stuff was junk and are refusing any future gear from all but a few of the older established Chinese companies with a proven track record.
In addition some of the ventilators from Federal stock piles that were released proved to be non-operative because when the contract for regular maintenance expired the bureaucrats took almost a year to get a new contract in place resulting in machines that either don't work at all or don't meet specs anymore. Seems those high end ventilators are like modern cars and other machines - regular maintenance is needed to keep ones in storage in operative condition.

This is going to be controversial, I can feel it in bones...

We see less pollution in major cities and the skies according to the data presented. All good and fine but...

I get the sinking feeling that this v***s is not going to help at all. While the skies appear bluer already the real pollution is way high in the air and this is what causes the green house effect. This has not gone away.

The in between pollution (surface/high altitude) has been reduced. This has a side effect, the sun heat dispersed by the air pollution is now straight onto the surface with the potential or creating a surge of temperature. Everything will be warmer everywhere precipitating and ecological disaster faster then anticipated. If water get warmer, storms will be stronger, evaporation will be faster, feeding into the storm system. Ice/snow will also melt faster leaving areas with less water than ever before.

Think of it as being on a beach and you use an umbrella for protection. You feel slightly cooler but the environment will still keep you warm. The umbrella also cuts on rays that are unhealthy. Remove the umbrella and now you are fully exposed to the sun by the time it took you to remove the umbrella.

Now consider clouds passing over the sun. The temperatures drops almost immediately as the umbrella effect affects everything that surrounds you.

The mid-air pollution acts as a dampener against direct sun ray as the light/energy is reflected and trapped in the higher layer. Remove the mid-air pollution and we remove the dampener and 'shield'. We now have more light and energy hitting the ground.

I am well aware that I am not a scientist and likely just an i***t that now has too much time on his hand but... Logic and observation seem to converge.

So... (the v***s stuff)

This means that the v***s will have 'screwed' with us at three levels... Health, economy and environment... On the other hand less surface and mid air pollution means less difficulties to breathe...

I have no scientific data to support this opinion and it is just a stray thought about what can happen.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

I browsed a bunch of articles about the shortage of ventilators. It seems the ones they are using, and say they want/need, are sort of the equivalent of a Rolls Royce Limited Edition SUV (is there such a thing?). In other words way more than needed most of the time and therefore more expensive. A few people have designed lower end devices that do what is the basic function - push air into the lungs. One is just a robot arm that works one of the hand held rubber bulb types to force air into the lungs - normally used by someone holding it and squeezing-releasing in the correct rhythm. Others are a bit more advanced but do the basic job. I suggested on one on line thread that handyman types could modify all kinds of air pumps in an emergency and was made fun of - well that seems to be happening. I suggested that CPAP machines would work for people with mild breathing problems and was made fun of. Well I have seen an online/TV interview where one Health Official was asking for CPAP machines that aren't being used to be donated - for use with mild cases.

My wife is a retired Surgical Nurse and used to having only the best to work with. When she questioned my "emergency" ideas and the things like the robot arm that squeezes the bulb I asked her "If you are in danger of death and they are short of gear/meds would you rather they use something that sorta works and gives you a chance or have the hospital Chaplain say a prayer over you and wave bye bye?" Her response "OH!"

In Palm Springs the wearing of a mask is required by the county health agency. They recommend using 3 plys of cloth to make one if you can’t get any commercially made ones. And no one but medical personnel should be using the N95 masks. The logic being that even though the virus is microbial, the water droplets you expel when talking are much larger and the cloth, although not 100% effective, will lessen the odds of you spreading the virus. As some people carry the virus and display no symptoms, this precaution will help to “flatten the curve” until science can find an effective vaccine.

Because though many like the My Pillow company are switching to mask and gown production it takes time and China had the masks available NOW.

In a few weeks when our production ramps up to speed the US will not have a shortage of most PPE supplies and will be supplying things to other nations like the Southern Hemisphere where the high temps of their summer have made the P******c fairly small up to now. And if that doesn't happen then the 50 states and Federal Gvt can stock pile for the future in the amounts they should have before. And I hope they also bring production of any and all medical supplies and medicines back to the US. Switch facilities over to production of these things, stockpile (and maintain) supplies for the future. Then mothball the production facilities or keep them going at the level needed in normal times so they are there "in case" for the future.

The New England Patriots' team plane is being used to t***sport 1.2 million N95 masks from Shenzhen, China, to the United States.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the t***sfer was the result of multiple global negotiations and the Massachusetts governor, Charlie Baker, calling on Patriots team president Jonathan Kraft for his help in acquiring the masks.

The Patriots' plane had to be upgraded for international travel and a waiver to avoid a 14-day quarantine in China was granted if the crew did not leave the aircraft, according to the Journal.

"I've never seen so much red tape in so many ways and obstacles that we had to overcome," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said, according to the Journal. "In today's world, those of us who are fortunate to make a difference have a significant responsibility to do so with all the assets we have available to us."

The Kraft family paid $2 million, about half the cost, to acquire the masks, according to the newspaper. The initial order was for 1.7 million masks, but only 1.2 million could fit on the plane. The remainder of the masks are set to be delivered in another shipment, the Journal reports.

Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker gave a "huge thanks to the Krafts and several dedicated partners for making this happen" in a tweet Thursday morning.

"It is an honor for our family to be a part of this humanitarian mission," Robert Kraft said in a statement. "We knew that purchasing greatly-needed N95 masks and providing the Patriots plane to expedite their delivery to local hospitals would immediately help protect our courageous healthcare professionals. Multiple organizations across the public and private sectors, all of which were in lockstep with Governor Charlie Baker's visionary leadership, worked together to execute this mission with the purpose of helping save lives.

"I truly hope that in doing so, we can in some way inspire others to find creative ways to give more in support of our doctors, nurses and first responders. It's nice to care for those who provide such compassionate care for us."

Of the total, 300,000 masks have been pledged to New York state, which has the most c****av***s cases in the country with more than 83,000. Massachusetts has more than 7,700 c****av***s cases and more than 120 people have died due to the v***s.

The Patriots' plane, which was allowed on the ground in China for only three hours, according to the Journal, is expected to arrive at Boston Logan International Airport on Thursday.
According to Politico, the Massachusetts National Guard will then t***sport the masks to a strategic stockpile in Marlborough, Massachusetts.