* UK orders 10,000 ventilators from consortium
* Production to begin this week
* Consortium includes Airbus, BAE, Ford and F1 teams
(Adds background, details)
By Kate Holton
LONDON, March 30 (Reuters) - Britain has ordered more than
10,000 ventilators from a consortium of leading aerospace,
engineering and Formula One racing companies, with production to
begin this week.
The group, including Airbus, BAE Systems,
Ford and seven Formula One teams, has said it expected to
get a very prompt regulatory sign off of an agreed new design
which is based on existing technologies.
"This consortium brings together some of the most innovative
companies in the world," Dick Elsy, the head of the consortium
said in a statement. "I am confident this consortium has the
skills and tools to make a difference and save lives."
The United Kingdom, which initially only had 5,000
ventilators available in its National Health Service, has been
scrambling to secure additional supplies of the equipment which
can save the lives of those with complications from COVID-19.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is now in isolation in
Downing Street after testing positive for coronavirus, made an
emergency appeal earlier this month for manufacturers to start
making specialist health equipment including ventilators.
The government said it needed 30,000 ventilators. Britain
currently has about 8,000 ventilators with another 8,000 on
order from international manufacturers that are due in coming
weeks.
Vacuum cleaner company Dyson said last week it had received
an order of a newly-made ventilator which will need to be
approved by the health regulator.
Reuters reported last week that the consortium had joined
forces to build ventilators and was waiting for the green light
from government to start production.
The engineering consortium will accelerate production of an
agreed new design which can be assembled from materials and
parts in current production. The team includes two existing
ventilator producers, Smiths Group and Penlon.
The consortium did not say when the ventilators would be
ready for use in hospitals.
A total of 1,228 people have died in the United Kingdom from
coronavirus, as of 1700 GMT on Saturday.
Separately on Monday a group including Mercedes Formula One
said it had developed a new version of a breathing aid that can
help coronavirus patients in less a week. It is now being
trialled in hospitals.
(Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)