New York – As coronavirus deaths continue to rise in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that he will use his authority to requisition respirators and protective equipment from private hospitals and companies that do not use them, one of the most aggressive measures in United States to alleviate the shortage of equipment necessary to combat the pandemic.
“If you want to sue me for borrowing your surplus life-saving respirators, then sue me,” Cuomo said. He described the measure as “sharing resources” and promised to return the equipment or compensate the owners.
The executive order he said he would approve aims to address the kind of shortage that has been globally and that authorities say has caused health workers to get sick and forced doctors in Europe to make life and death decisions. on what kind of patients are connected an artificial respirator.
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Cuomo said New York, the most affected location in the country, would occupy all of its available respirators next week, while the Louisiana governor said New Orleans could run out of provision by Tuesday.
The number of infected people in the United States has exceeded a quarter of a million and the number of deaths exceeds 6,900, of which 2,900 people correspond to New York. Most of the deaths have been in New York City, where hospitals are crowded with patients. Statewide, some 15,000 people are hospitalized, most of them in the city.
The Democratic governor was praised by a metropolitan area hospital association, but some Republican elected officials outside the city opposed it. They said the order was foolish and that it would cost lives.
“Forcibly removing our respirators leaves our people unprotected and our hospitals unable to save lives now or respond to future increases,” 12 of them said in a statement.
The shortage of items such as face masks, gowns, and respirators has caused fierce competition among buyers from Europe, the United States, and elsewhere.
Cuomo, who has complained in recent days that states are forced to compete with each other for vital equipment in e-Bay-style auctions, called for a coordinated national strategy to send supplies and personnel to different areas as their needs.
