As the COVID-19 cases in the country reach 2,311, scientists from the University of the Philippines-Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) are in the process of developing new and more affordable medical ventilators to help the growing number of patients affected by the virus.
Ventilators, which are mechanical breathing devices, are key devices in helping a patient recover from the virus. It feeds oxygen into their lungs and includes a humidifier that adds heat and moisture to the air to match the patient’s temperature.
Vergeire: We have a total of 1,263 ventilators all over the country. Here in the NCR we have 153, and for the rest of the other regions naka-scatter itong 1,263. #COVID19
— DZMM TeleRadyo (@DZMMTeleRadyo) April 1, 2020
According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, there are only 1,263 ventilators all over the country, with 153 in the National Capital Region and the others scattered in other regions.
In an interview with DZMM early this morning, Vergeire also said that the ventilators being designed by the UP-NIH scientists are locally produced inside the university. However, she refuses to give more details about the ventilators as they are not yet finished.
“Hopefully kapag lumabas po iyong kanilang pinag-aralan na ito at ginagawa, makakuha na tayo ng marami at mas mura po ito,” she added.
The UP-NIH is also responsible for creating the test kits that have yet to be issued a certificate of product registration by the Food and Drug Administration.
Header photo courtesy of CDC on Unsplash
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