Dyson to produce 15,000 ventilators to help with coronavirus fight

Dyson has stepped up to create thousands of ventilators amid the coronavirus pandemic, after designing a new product in 10 days.

The company, which typically produces household products such as vacuums and fans, will now build 15,000 ventilators, according to an email sent to Dyson employees.

Of those ventilators, 10,000 have been ordered by the U.K. government. Dyson pledged to donate 5,000 to global relief efforts, according to the Guardian. 

James Dyson, the founder of the company, said in the email that he received a request from U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson to look into the matter 10 days ago.

The company, working with Cambridge-based Technology Partnership, has now created a product that will be easy to produce quickly.

“This new device can be manufactured quickly, efficiently and at volume,” Dyson wrote of the new ventilators, called CoVent.

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Dyson said the device draws on technology used in the company’s air purifier ranges and is powered by a digital motor.

The ventilator order is expected to be ready by early April, the email said. However, The Guardian reported the product is still awaiting regulatory approval.

The U.K. health system is grappling with high demand for ventilators as cases of COVID-19 increase. On Thursday afternoon, there were nearly 12,000 cases reported in the country, according to the John Hopkins database.

The government currently has a supply of 8,000 ventilators.

The shortage of ventilators extends to other countries, including Canada, Italy and the U.S.

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Canada has around 5,000 ventilators, according to deputy chief public health officer Howard Njoo.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week that the government is working to procure ventilators and other medical supplies amid the pandemic, and that they’ve already seen “a tremendous, positive response from companies.”

— With files from Global News reporter Maryam Shah