(Image courtesy of Ventec)
As the COVID-19 pandemic roars on, the government stockpile of once-in-demand ventilators has reportedly turned into a collection of unused devices.
The Washington Post reports that, following the panic caused by an anticipated ventilator shortage and subsequent rush to add to the stockpile after President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, the approach to treating COVID-19 changed and continued efforts to produce ventilators may come too late.
According to the report, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) said it distributed 15,057 ventilators as of last Friday, with 95,713 ventilators remaining in the stockpile, among which 94,352 had come from contracts signed since the pandemic began.
When the pandemic began, ventilators were highly sought after, but, more than five months in, The Washington Post said medical experts claim intubation for COVID-1…