- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called for more supplies , and some companies have begun replying with their own plans to help.
- These 13 companies, including Ford, Unilever, and Tesla, are either making equipment or are donating equipment to those in need.
- This article is part of our ongoing series on Better Capitalism .
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
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Tesla, Apple, and Ford are stepping up to address global shortages of ventilators, hand sanitizer, face masks, and gowns. Here's a running list of companies helping out.
Healthcare workers across the globe face dire shortages of equipment needed to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic, including ventilators, face masks, gowns, and hand sanitizer.
SEATTLE, WA - MARCH 17: Nurses clean their hands with disinfectant after a patient was screened for COVID-19 at an appointment-only, drive-up clinic set up by the University of Washington Medical Center Northwest Outpatient Medical Center on March 17, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. The clinic was set up to provide additional screening capacity, support personal protective equipment conservation efforts and help reduce the number of patients entering healthcare facilities for testing during the coronavirus outbreak. (Karen Ducey/Getty Images)
Countries across the globe are facing unprecedented shortages of healthcare supplies needed to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic. Nurses without gowns have started wearing garbage bags . Healthcare workers are running out of masks and have been told to use scarves or bandanas instead. Doctors desperately need ventilators , or machines that help people unable to breathe on their own.
Leaders like New York Governor Andrew Cuomo have been sounding the alarm and a number of businesses are already responding.
Here are 13 major companies that have already stepped up to the plate to help meet critical shortages.
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the electric car company had bought hundreds of ventilators from China and shipped them to the US.
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"China had an oversupply, so we bought 1,255 FDA-approved ResMed, Philips & Medtronic ventilators on Friday night & airshipped them to LA," Musk tweeted late Monday night.
Musk said Wednesday that the company's factory in Buffalo, New York, will open "as soon as humanly possible" to produce more ventilators there.
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Dyson will produce 10,000 ventilators for the UK and donate another 5,000.
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AP Photo/Rob Bennett
Dyson, the company known for its vacuums, said it has received an emergency order from the United Kingdom for 10,000 ventilators, according to CNN . The company has already designed a new ventilator and plans on creating an additional 5,000 to donate internationally.
"This new device can be manufactured quickly, efficiently, and at volume," Dyson wrote in a statement.
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Apple will donate millions of masks to healthcare workers.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted : "Proud to share we've been able to source 10M masks for the US and millions more for the hardest hit regions in Europe. Our ops teams are helping to find and purchase masks from our supply chain in coordination with governments around the world."
Ford, GE, and 3M are partnering to build ventilators and protective equipment.
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Ford is providing technical and production efforts to make a simplified design of GE Healthcare's existing ventilator, according to a press release . The car manufacturer is also providing engineers and facilities to help boost production of 3M's PAPR, or powered air-purifying respirators, for healthcare workers.
Inditex, owner of the retail store Zara, announced that it will donate masks to coronavirus patients and health officials in Spain.
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AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
The fashion giant said it's also looking into converting factories to manufacture hospital gowns, Business Insider previously reported .
The maker of Absolut Vodka and Jameson Irish Whiskey said it is converting facilities to produce hand sanitizer.
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Pernod Ricard, the producer of Absolut Vodka and Jameson Irish Whiskey, said it will start to produce hand sanitizer at all its US distilleries, Business Insider's Jessica Snouwaert reported.
Luxury conglomerate LVMH, the parent company of Louis Vuitton, turned its perfume factories into hand sanitizer manufacturers.
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Photo by JARRY TRIPELON/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
The move will help combat the shortage of sanitizer in France, Business Insider reported.
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Brandon Maxwell and Christian Siriano are using their staff to make personal protective equipment like face masks and gowns.
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Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
The fashion designers have responded to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's request for help meeting supply demands, Business Insider's Celia Fernandez reported.
"If @NYGovCuomo says we need masks my team will help make some. I have a full sewing team still on staff working from home that can help," Siriano tweeted.
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So far, Siriano's team has made over 1,000 masks in three days .
Unilever will donate soap and sanitizer to the World Economic Forum's emergency task force.
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Reuters
As part of a 100-million euro COVID-19 response plan, Unilever will donate at least 50 million euros worth of soaps and hand sanitizer to the World Economic Forum and the World Health Organization's emergency task force that's working with companies and governments globally to respond to the pandemic.
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In addition, Unilever will use its current manufacturing lines to produce sanitizer for use in hospitals, schools and other institutional settings, according to a press release.
Prada is making 80,000 hospital gowns and 110,000 masks for healthcare professionals.
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Bobby Yip/REUTERS
Additionally, Prada co-CEOs Muiccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, alongside the brand's chairman Carlo Mazzi, have donated two resuscitation and complete intensive care units to three hospitals in Milan, according to a press release sent to Business Insider.
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Prudential donated over 150,000 N95 respirators and face masks.
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Prudential Financial has donated 153,000 face masks including 75,000 N95 respirators for healthcare workers in New Jersey. The company has also committed $1.5 million in funding for local businesses and community support, both in the US and internationally, according to a press release .
See Also:
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- 6 rules for running virtual meetings that will keep your remote teams happy and engaged and make you a respected leader
- The coronavirus is changing how big companies contribute to America's safety nets and that should give business leaders a chance to rethink capitalism
- Not having a job can wreak havoc on your mental health. Here are 4 psychologist recommended strategies for dealing with 'unemployment depression.'
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