Apple Inc has said it will soon be producing 1 million face shields a week for medical workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tech giant had already sourced 20 million surgical masks from around the world to help address a global shortage, Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook said in a video posted to Twitter on Sunday.
However, the company had also designed its own transparent protective face shield and begun mass production at its factories in the US and China, Cook said.
“We plan to ship over 1 million by the end of this week,” Cook said.
Initial distribution would be focused on the US, but the company hoped to “quickly expand distribution” to other countries, he said.
Apple joins several global firms that have modified their production lines to meet demand for protective gear, including Italian luxury brand Prada SpA.
US President Donald Trump last month issued a federal order forcing auto giant General Motors Co to manufacture ventilators after a shortage of the hospital equipment, which is crucial for treating critical COVID-19 cases.
Tesla Inc engineers showed footage of a prototype ventilator the company is trying to make with auto parts amid a shortage of the machines.
According to the video on Tesla’s YouTube channel, the design includes a touch screen, computer and control system from a Model 3 electric car.
Tesla is taking advantage of components that are familiar, reliable and available, an engineer says in the video.
Meanwhile, a Japanese medical equipment maker said it has been approached by the Japanese government to mass produce its animal ventilators to treat people diagnosed with the novel coronavirus and that other countries have also expressed interest.
Metran Co chief executive officer Kazufuku Nitta said the approach was made late last month and that the US, Britain and India were among more than 30 countries the company is talking to.
Privately held Metran also makes ventilators for people, but Nitta said its veterinary devices are simpler and so are one-10th of the cost to produce and easier to operate.
“In a pandemic, there won’t be enough doctors with expert knowledge on site,” Nitta told reporters in an interview at Metran’s factory in Kawaguchi, north of Tokyo.
“A simple and a safe machine is needed for doctors who are not familiar with the device,” he said.
The company is considering a system to produce 5,000 to 15,000 of its animal respirators, Nitta said, without providing a time frame.
Additional reporting by Reuters and Bloomberg
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