Friday, 29 Mar 2024

Feds shipping 4,000 more ventilators to New York in coronavirus fight

The federal government has pledged an additional 4,000 ventilators to the Empire State’s fight against the coronavirus, with half bound for New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday, amid rancor over the life-saving devices.

“Just a short time ago, I got the very good news that we got an announcement from the federal government that 4,000 more ventilators are on the way to New York State in the next 48 hours,” said de Blasio in a City Hall press briefing.

“That’s great news,” he added, noting that 2,000 of the devices are bound for the five boroughs, which de Blasio noted is home to 14,776 of the state’s more than 25,000 cases.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier Tuesday indicated that the number of city diagnoses may be even higher, putting the tally at 14,904.

That supply is in addition to 400 ventilators pledged to the state Monday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

But de Blasio stressed that New York is far from in the clear.

“I want to thank the administration for what has begun to happen, but I need everyone in Washington to understand that it’ll just get us to the first week of April, even with this new supply,” he said. “It is something that literally is going to be the difference between life and death for thousands upon thousands of New Yorkers.”

Speaking before the announcement of the additional 4,000 ventilators, Gov. Andrew Cuomo blasted the federal government for its lackluster pledge of 400 devices — well short of the 30,000 he says the state will need.

President Trump responded by accusing Cuomo of ignoring a warning from a panel on the state Department of Health that New York needed approximately 16,000 ventilators to be adequately prepared for a pandemic.

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