The government has ordered 10,000 hastily-designed ventilators from vacuum giant Dyson to help coronavirus patients, the firm’s billionaire founder has said.
In an email to staff, Sir James Dyson said his company designed the “CoVent” at the request of Boris Johnson, and promised to donate 5,000 to the international relief effort.
Sir James said teams of engineers had been working solidly on the design since receiving the call from the Prime Minister 10 days ago.
The UK Government has now placed an initial order of 10,000 units, he claimed – but the firm is still waiting for the design to receive approval from regulators.
He wrote: “We have received an initial order of 10,000 units from the UK Government, which we will supply on an open-book basis.
“We are also looking at ways of making it available internationally.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Health Minister Edward Argar suggested the 10,000 were additional to 16,000 which the government has either in place, or on order for the future.
Heath Minister Edward Argar said the country now has 8,000 ventilators (up from 5,000) and 8,000 more ordered “off the shelf”.
He said the 8,000 ordered “should be coming on stream over the coming week or two and into the future, depending on the speed with which we can get them installed”.
But experts have warned the nation needs several tens of thousands of ventilators to avoid people who are struggling to breathe from Covid-19 being denied support.
Previously Health Secretary Matt Hancock had claimed the country had 12,000 ventilators.
Mr Argar admitted this was a mix-up – it had actually meant 8,000 in place and, at the time, 4,000 ordered.
(Image: WILL OLIVER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Created in partnership with Cambridge-based science engineering firm TTP, the new ventilator had to be safe, effective, efficient in conserving oxygen and portable, Mr Dyson said.
It also had to be bed-mounted, easy to use and not require a fixed air supply.
The battery-powered machine has been designed for use in different settings, including field hospitals like a 4,000-bed unit in London’s Excel centre and when patients are being transported.
Sir James said the device draws on technology used in the company’s air purifier ranges, and is powered by a digital motor.
“The core challenge was how to design and deliver a new, sophisticated medical product in volume and in an extremely short space of time. The race is now on to get it into production,” he said.
He added: “Ventilators are a regulated product so Dyson and TTP will be working with the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory products Agency and the Government to ensure that the product and the manufacturing process is approved.”
A spokesman for the company said the fan units needed for the device are already available in a very high volume.
Sir James is no stranger to the political world after backing Brexit before moving his firm’s HQ to Singapore last year.
The Mirror has contacted the Department of Health and Social Care in an attempt to clarify details of the order.
