Elon Musk is Shipping Free Ventilators to Hospitals Worldwide

"Only requirement is that the vents are needed immediately for patients, not stored in a warehouse."

Free of Charge

Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk has announced renewed efforts to supply hospitals around the country — and internationally — with life-saving equipment amid the coronavirus outbreak.

"We have extra FDA-approved ventilators," he tweeted. "Will ship to hospitals worldwide within Tesla delivery regions. Device and shipping cost are free."

He did, however, have one caveat: the ventilators need to be put to use immediately: "Only requirement is that the vents are needed immediately for patients, not stored in a warehouse."

"Heroic Effort"

The news comes after Musk sourced some 1,255 ventilators from Chinese manufacturers and donated them to hospitals in the Los Angeles area last week. "If you want a free ventilator installed, please let us know!" he tweeted at the time.

California governor Gavin Newsom praised the move at the time, calling it a "heroic effort," according to Bloomberg.

Vent Rush

Hospitals across the country are quickly running out of ventilators, machines that play a crucial role in providing care for a growing number of COVID-19 patients. Healthcare practitioners now have an awful decision to make: which patients get access to a limited number of ventilators?

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump used the Defense Production Act to encourage companies including General Motors to produce ventilators. Despite severe shortages in the US, Trump announced plans yesterday to send excess ventilators to Europe.

READ MORE: Tesla offers ventilators free of cost to hospitals, Musk says [The Hill]

More on Musk: “Heroic Effort”: Elon Musk Donates 1,250 Ventilators to Hospitals