Taxpayers Paid Millions to Design a Low-Cost Ventilator for a Pandemic. Instead, the Company Is Selling Versions of It Overseas.
by Patricia Callahan, Sebastian Rotella and Tim Golden ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Five years ago, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tried to plug a crucial hole in its preparations for a global pandemic, signing a $13.8 million contract with a Pennsylvania manufacturer to create a low-cost, portable, easy-to-use ventilator that could be stockpiled for emergencies.
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Mr Raab arrived at No 10 for his first job to lead the government's daily virus meeting
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Mr Johnson is the first major world leader to have announced he had the virus
Boris Johnson is "in good spirits" after spending the night in intensive care being treated for coronavirus, according to a No 10 spokesman
He said the prime minister, 55, was stable overnight and is being given oxygen - and was not on a ventilator.
It comes as Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove became the latest politician to self-isolate after a family member showed symptoms.
New York City's 'big boost': Crowds flocked to watch USNS Comfort's arrival, photos show
The Navy hospital ship, equipped with 1,000 beds and 12 operating rooms, arrived as New York City reels from hundreds of coronavirus-related deaths.The intention is that the ship will host non-coronavirus-related patients, freeing up resources at medical centers dealing with the outbreak.
Mr Gove said he did not have symptoms and will continue working at home.
Mr Johnson was admitted to St Thomas' Hospital in central London with "persistent symptoms" of Covid-19 on Sunday and was moved to intensive care on Monday at 19:00 BST after his symptoms worsened.
In a statement on Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister has been stable overnight and remains in good spirits. He is receiving standard oxygen treatment and is breathing without any other assistance.
"He has not required mechanical ventilation or non-invasive respiratory support."
A ventilator takes over the body's breathing process when disease has caused the lungs to fail.
- What is intensive care and which patients need it?
- NHS volunteers to start receiving tasks
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme earlier, Mr Gove pledged that if there is any change in his condition "No 10 will ensure the country is updated".
Health care workers in Ohio are testing positive for COVID-19 at an alarming rate
More than 1,000 health care workers in Ohio have tested positive for the coronavirus, but state and local officials won't say where they work.But Ohio’s public health officials aren’t talking about where all those employees work, how they’re doing now or how many may have been infected in “hot spots,” or clusters of positive tests.
Meanwhile, world leaders including Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have sent messages to Mr Johnson wishing him well.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is deputising for the PM and chaired the government's daily coronavirus meeting on Tuesday.
News to stay informed. Advice to stay safe.
Click here for complete coronavirus coverage from Microsoft News
As first secretary of state, Mr Raab is the minister designated to stand in for Mr Johnson if he is unwell and unable to work.
Mr Raab said earlier there was an "incredibly strong team spirit" behind the prime minister and that he and his colleagues were making sure they implemented plans that Mr Johnson had instructed them to deliver "as soon as possible".
What the Nurses See: Bronx Hospital Reels as Coronavirus Swamps New York
The pandemic has hit the borough hard. Christina Norstein and other nurses have witnessed things over the past few weeks they have never experienced before: freezer trucks for the dead; colleagues healthy one day, critically ill the next.(Pictured) A closed tattoo shop is boarded up closed amid concerns of COVID-19 spreading in Dallas, Texas on March 31.
Some politicians have called for greater clarity on what Mr Raab's role as deputy entails, including Tory MP Tobias Ellwood who asked for details "as to where responsibility for UK national security decisions now lies".
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The world is battling the COVID-19 outbreak, which the World Health Organization has declared a global pandemic.
(Pictured) Migrant workers eat their dinner at the closed mall during the nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 on April 6 in Ahmedabad, India.
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Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab arrives at 10 Downing Street for today's C-19 committee meeting on April 7 in London, England. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was transferred to the intensive care unit at St Thomas' Hospital after his coronavirus symptoms worsened last night.
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Commuters ride a train on April 7 in Tokyo. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that he will declare a state of emergency for Tokyo and six other prefectures as early as Tuesday to bolster measures to fight COVID-19, but that there will be no hard lockdowns.
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An Indonesian soldier disinfects a school as he walks past students sitting apart to maintain social distancing as they listen to an officer speaking about how to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in Banda Aceh on April 7.
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Face shields are displayed before being sterilised and sent to health workers for use against the spread of the COVID-19 in Kuala Lumpur on April 7.
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A British national has her temperature checked as she enters Ninoy Aquino International Airport to get on a special flight to London on April 7 in Manila, Philippines. A special flight to London was mounted on Tuesday to evacuate British nationals who were left stranded in the country after a lockdown was imposed on the Philippines' main island Luzon to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
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A man walks beneath a billboard during the 21-day nationwide lockdown on April 6 in Cape Town, South Africa.
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A city employee, wearing protective gear, poses for a photograph as he disinfects an area of Paseo de la Reforma avenue as the coronavirus outbreak continues in Mexico City, Mexico on April 6.
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Workers from Bangladesh, India and China look out of their balconies during food distribution at Punggol S-11 workers' dormitory, which was gazetted to be an isolation facility after it became a cluster of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, in Singapore April 6.
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Albanian people are being disinfected before entering a market, as Albanian authorities take measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease in Tirana, Albania on April 6.
Trump administration tells hospitals ventilators can be shared among coronavirus patients
Hospitals can split a single ventilator between two patients infected with the coronavirus, the Trump administration said Tuesday, but cautioned that the practice should only be done if there are no other options.A shortage of ventilators, machines that allow seriously ill patients to breathe and stay alive, is one of the top concerns of the coronavirus crisis. Hospitals across the country could soon be facing situations where they need to prioritize treatment with limited resources.
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Police guard the entrance to St Thomas' Hospital in London where British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has contracted COVID-19, has been admitted to the intensive care unit after his condition worsened on April 6.
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Men dressed like super heroes Spider Man and Captain America hold a banner which reads "Stay in Home" in Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on April 6.
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Birds reappear in the bay amid the lack of cars along the coastal highway due to a quarantine imposed by the government to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus in Asuncion, Paraguay on April 6.
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People who lost their jobs wait in line to file for unemployment following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at an Arkansas Workforce Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas on April 6.
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Artist Rachel List paints a mural, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Pontefract, England on April 6.
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A Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus driver wears a mask while driving along Don Mills Road as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases continue to grow in Toronto, Canada on April 6.
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Health workers observe a minute's silence at the entrance of the Hospital Doctor Peset in remembrance of nursing staff who have died due to coronavirus on April 6 in Valencia, Spain.
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Nurses at Harlem Hospital hold a rally demanding greater access to PPE to slow the spread of coronavirus in front of the hospital in the Manhattan borough of New York City on April 6.
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Policemen arrest doctors and paramedics during a protest during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in Quetta, Pakistan on April 6. Authorities in Pakistan's Quetta arrested more than 50 doctors protesting against the unavailability of safety equipment.
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The Tokyo Skytree displays a message reading "Together We Can All Win" on April 6 in Tokyo, Japan.
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A man walks past a screen showing the news report that Japanese Prime minister Shinzo Abe plans to declare a state of emergency over coronavirus on April 6 in Tokyo, Japan.
Anguished nurses say Pennsylvania hospital risked infecting cancer patients, babies and staff with covid-19
Like many hospitals across the country, Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton, Pa., wasn’t prepared for the influx of covid-19 patients.The Rev. Nicolas Sanchez points while talking about the diversity of families who sent their pictures to decorate pews at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Los Angele , on April 10. COVID-19 measures also have changed the way people worship, with churches and synagogues closed and many Passover and Easter services streamed online.
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Workers are checked by security and police officers outside the entrance to Westlite Dormitory. The place is one of the two workers’ dormitory gazetted as isolation areas to curb the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Singapore on April 6.
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The Ruby Princess cruise ship, the subject of a criminal investigation with Australian authorities after allowing passengers infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to disembark in Sydney the prior month, docks with crew only onboard at Port Kembla in Wollongong, Australia on April 6.
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German tourists queue up to enter Christchurch International Airport on April 6 in Christchurch, New Zealand. Air New Zealand is operating a number of special charter flights on behalf of the German government to repatriate German travelers stranded in New Zealand due the COVID-19 pandemic.
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A volunteer from the Payam-e-Wilayat Foundation Pakistan welfare organization disinfects a mosque from the coronavirus in Peshawar, Pakistan on April 5. The government imposed a nationwide lockdown to try to contain the outbreak of the virus.
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People play instruments as others dance on their balconies in support of the medical staff that is working on the COVID-19 virus outbreak in Barcelona, Spain on April 5. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that he would ask the Parliament to extend the state of emergency by two more weeks, taking the lockdown on mobility until April 26.
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Iranian women, members of paramilitary organization Basij, make face masks and other protective items at a mosque in Tehran, Iran amid the novel coronavirus pandemic crisis on April 5. The spread of the virus in Iran has slowed for the fifth day in a row, according to official figures released today by the authorities, who also announced plans for a gradual resumption of certain economic activities starting on April 11.
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People assemble and arrange palm bouquets for sale during Palm Sunday, also known as the 'Domingo de Ramos,' on April 5 in Mexico City, Mexico. Health Emergency was declared by the National Government and non-essential activities have been suspended nationwide until April 30.
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Residents write words "stay home" with their mobile phones as they stand on the balcony of their apartment block during the lockdown imposed by the Belgian government, on April 5 in Ruisbroek, Belgium.
Colin Hanks Shows Fans How to Make a Sewing-Free Face Mask After Dad Recovers from Coronavirus
All it takes is a kerchief and two rubber bands or elastic hair ties As the number of confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continue to grow in the United States, the Jumanji: The Next Level star, 42, shared with his fans a helpful tutorial on how to make a no-sew face mask with simple items found around the house. “Hey everyone. I’ve been looking around online for ways to turn your kerchiefs into a face mask,” he wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday. It’s pretty easy. All you need is one kerchief (or bandana roughly 21 x 21 inches) and 2 hair ties or rubber bands if you have those.
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Residents light candles and turn on their mobile phone lights in their balcony to observe a nine-minute vigil called by India's Prime Minister in a show of unity and solidarity in Mumbai, India on April 5.
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A woman is told to go home by a police officer on a motorbike to stop the spread of coronavirus and keep the park open for people observing the British government's guidance of social distancing, only using parks for dog walking, one form of exercise a day, like a run, walk, or cycle alone or with members of the same household, on Primrose Hill in London, on Sunday, April 5, 2020.
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Firefighter Elielson Silva plays his trumpet from a basket atop a ladder, for people to listen to from their balconies during the quarantine in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on April 5.
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Phlebotomist Jason McClelland assists blood donors during a Palm Sunday blood drive at St. Mel Catholic Church on April 5 in California.
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Evangelicals from the Ministry International of Restoration church, pray at a drive-thru system in Manaus, Brazil on April 5.
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Medical staff from La Princesa hospital react as neighbors applaud from their balconies in support for healthcare workers in Madrid, Spain on April 5.
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Mike Swyt, left, gets a haircut in his garage from his brother-in-law, Ryan Nolan, because barbershops are closed due to lockdown, on April 5 in Nolensville.
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Pope Francis holds a palm branch as he leads Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter's Basilica without public participation due to the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the Vatican on April 5.
This is what China did to beat coronavirus. Experts say America couldn't handle it
Beijing took radical and invasive coronavirus actions that many people outside China might find culturally, logistically and emotionally unpalatable. "It was not just families being isolated together in Wuhan, but individuals being isolated away from their friends and families," said Andy Mok, a fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, a public policy think tank based in Beijing."China's response to the outbreak was truly a nationwide response: systematic, comprehensive and coordinated," he said.
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A passenger waves from a bus after arriving to Rafik Hariri Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 5. A jet carrying more than 70 Lebanese citizens, who had been stuck in Saudi Arabia after Beirut's international airport closed nearly three weeks ago to limit the spread of coronavirus, arrived in Lebanon.
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Nick Lowden runs a marathon in his garden in Manchester, England on April 5 to raise money to help fight COVID-19.
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President Donald Trump speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House, on April 4 in Washington. (From left to right are Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator.)
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A group of health workers prepares to receive patients infected with COVID-19, while they send a positive message of hope with messages in their hands in the ambulance reception room of the San Jorge de Huesca hospital on April 4 in Huesca, Spain.
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Volker Saalfeld (2ndL) and Bernd Hecht (C) hug their daughters Natalie (L) and Rosalie after they returned from New Zealand by a repatriation flight organized by the German government at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany on April 4, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues.
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A picture taken on April 4, shows a military A400M plane waiting to be loaded with patients infected with novel coronavirus, COVID-19, for transportation from Orly airport, France to a hospital outside of the Paris region.
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People from the small town of Robbio, northern Italy, arrive in the sports hall on April 4, for blood tests for COVID-19 as part of an initiative of the mayor, as Italy's three-week lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19 has been extended through at least mid-April.
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A view of beds at a shopping mall, one of Iran's largest, which has been turned into a center to receive patients suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Tehran, Iran on April 4.
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Passengers are seen aboard the Coral Princess ship, of Princess Cruises fleet, with patients affected by coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as it docks at Miami Port, in Miami, Florida on April 4.
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Deserted street is seen during the lockdown, in Dublin, Ireland, on April 4.
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A man exercises on Recreio dos Bandeirantes beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 4.
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A civilian receives relief food during a government distribution exercise to those affected by the lockdown, in Kampala, Uganda, on April 4.
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A boy plays in the water at a beach during lockdown, in Algiers, Algeria, on April 4.
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Slideshow by photo servicesLord Heseltine, who served as deputy prime minister under John Major, said it will be a "very difficult personal position" for Mr Raab, who "will be tested by the loneliness of the job".
"He will be surrounded by lots of people who know what Boris Johnson said, believe Boris will be quickly back and have their own personal agendas anyway," he said.
Mr Johnson was initially taken to hospital for tests after announcing 11 days ago that he had the coronavirus. His symptoms included a high temperature and a cough.
Mr Gove is the latest cabinet minister to self-isolate, after Mr Johnson, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Scottish secretary Alister Jack.
- Laura Kuenssberg: Power is no protection from harm
- Who's in charge if a PM is incapacitated?
- Profile: Dominic Raab
The government's chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty and the PM's adviser Dominic Cummings also spent time self-isolating after showing symptoms.
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This is what China did to beat coronavirus. Experts say America couldn't handle it .
Beijing took radical and invasive coronavirus actions that many people outside China might find culturally, logistically and emotionally unpalatable. "It was not just families being isolated together in Wuhan, but individuals being isolated away from their friends and families," said Andy Mok, a fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, a public policy think tank based in Beijing."China's response to the outbreak was truly a nationwide response: systematic, comprehensive and coordinated," he said.