The US awarded General Motors and its partner Ventec Life Systems a $489.4 million (Dh1.7 billion) contract to make 30,000 ventilators by the end of August, finalising a deal that briefly was a point of contention for President Donald Trump.
Production will start next week, a GM spokesman said, and the carmaker and Ventec will deliver a fifth of the breathing machines they’re building for the Health and Human Services Department by June 1. The US invoked the Defense Production Act to secure production from the companies after Trump accused GM of moving too slowly and gouging the government. He’s praised the carmaker since then.
GM has been working with Bothell, Washington-based Ventec to boost the company’s production of ventilators used to help Covid-19 patients breathe while being treated for the respiratory disease. The automaker has converted an auto-parts plant in Kokomo, Indiana, to make the devices with paid volunteers from the United Auto Workers union.
In an effort reminiscent of the World War II-era “arsenal of democracy” movement, in which civilian manufacturing plants switched to making munitions, mass manufacturer GM paired up with specialty producer Ventec. Both companies had been working around the clock to find a way to build ventilators in mid March when Trump accused the carmaker of dragging its feet, calling out chief executive Mary Barra by name.
GM is now the first company with a US contract to add to the national stockpile that the federal government maintains, which is expected to run short of medical equipment to dole out to states coping with the coronavirus pandemic.
Shares of GM pared an early gain of as much as 3.9 per cent on Wednesday to trade up 2.2 per cent to $21.76 as of 10:16 a.m. in New York.
Before working with GM, Ventec was making at most 250 ventilators a month. To boost production rates into the thousands, Ventec needed GM’s help enlisting hundreds of parts suppliers to increase output, and the automaker is hiring 1,000 workers who will build the machines at the plant in Indiana.
GM is recruiting paid volunteers from its staff of 300 workers who make auto parts in Kokomo, plus others from a nearby metal stamping plant. But it still needs more people. The company has had at least 1,300 job applicants and is in the process of hiring and training workers in safety protocols, GM spokesman Jim Cain said.
The two companies will be making a scaled-down version of Ventec’s ventilator called the V+ Pro. It only provides ventilation, not other respiratory therapies featured in the company’s proprietary VOCSN system, Mr Cain said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention manages a stockpile that currently has between 12,000 and 13,000 ventilators, according to a report from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.
The problem is that the stockpile consists of three different ventilators and only one of them, the LTV1200 made by Becton Dickinson, is ideal for patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, which is typical for the most critical Covid-19 patients, Lewis Rubinson, chief medical officer at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey, said in an interview. Mr Rubinson worked as a consultant and later was chief medical officer for the US DHHS and its National Disaster Medical System, a role in which he helped build out the country’s strategic stockpile.
Mr Rubinson said Ventec’s unit is portable and would work for Covid-19 patients. He helped develop Ventec’s VOCSN and has an equity stake in the company. He also said the Airon unit being rushed to production by Ford Motor and General Electric, while not ideal, also could work for Covid-19 patients who need ventilation.
Critical care ventilators were added to the national stockpile of emergency supplies starting in 2005 in response to the avian flu, Mr Rubinson said. But at the time, no one planned on a pandemic that would hit multiple countries at once. So the government’s equipment inventory were not ready for an emergency of this size, he said.
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
MORE ON INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
www.greenheartuae.com
Modibodi
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
www.modibodi.ae
The Good Karma Co
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco
Re:told
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
www.shopretold.com
Lush
Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store.
www.mena.lush.com
Bubble Bro
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
www.bubble-bro.com
Coethical
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
www.instagram.com/coethical
Eggs & Soldiers
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
www.eggsnsoldiers.com
Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
