GM, Ford close to ending ventilator production

DETROIT, Mich. (WILX) - General motors and ford are close to finishing mass production of ventilators.

When the pandemic exploded in the US there seemed to be shortage of everything that was needed to combat it, from hospital beds to testing kits to ventilators. Although the bed situation remains a potential hazard, a discovery by North Ottawa Community Health System gave doctors the ability to triple their capacity for testing, and the federal government tapped the two automakers to make the life-saving machines. Now, both companies are near the end of their contracts.

GM expects to deliver the full 30,000 ventilators to the US stockpile by the end of the month, while Ford plans to reach about 43,000.