De Blasio Asks Elon Musk To Make Ventilators For NYC Hospitals

NEW YORK — Tesla founder Elon Musk offered to make ventilators for hospitals that face shortages due to the COVID-19 crisis — and Mayor Bill de Blasio is taking him up on it.

"We will need thousands in this city over the next few weeks," de Blasio tweeted Thursday morning. "We're getting them as fast as we can but we could use your help!"

"Sounds good, we will connect with your team to understand potential needs," Musk responded several hours later.

Freddi Goldstein, the mayor's press secretary, told Patch that City Hall has reached out to Musk's communications director, his lobbyist and the person who runs his family office.

"Given his response on Twitter, we’re hopeful he will be able to help," Goldstein said.

@elonmusk New York City is buying!

Our country is facing a drastic shortage and we need ventilators ASAP — we will need thousands in this city over the next few weeks. We’re getting them as fast as we can but we could use your help!

We’re reaching out to you directly.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 19, 2020

New York City has about 2,000 unused ventilators available but may need as many as 18,600 of the breathing-assistance machines to prepare for the peak of the pandemic, health experts told The New York Times this week.

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the state will need to make thousands of ventilators to help patients fighting the new coronavirus, which causes respiratory symptoms ranging from shortness of breath to pneumonia.

The state has between 5,000 and 6,000 ventilators but will need as many as 30,000 to deal with the pandemic, according to Cuomo.

"This is going to be the matter of life and death for people," Cuomo said in a CNN interview Thursday.

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