Watch

Actions

Governor to seize ventilators for NYC's overtaxed hospitals

items.[0].image.alt
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Frank Franklin II/AP
A pedestrian crosses a mostly empty Sixth Avenue during the coronavirus outbreak, Friday, April 3, 2020, in New York. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Governor to seize ventilators for NYC's overtaxed hospitals
Posted at 2:45 PM, Apr 03, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-03 17:45:45-04

NEW YORK (AP) — With coronavirus deaths climbing rapidly in New York, the governor says he'll use his authority to take ventilators and protective gear from private hospitals and companies that aren't using them.

The decision Friday is one of the most aggressive steps yet in the U.S. to relieve severe shortages of equipment needed to fight the scourge.

Medical workers in the U.S. and Europe are watching supplies of medicine, protective equipment and breathing machines dwindle by the hour.

It comes as the coronavirus outbreak has snapped the United States' record-breaking hiring streak of nearly 10 years. 

Copyright 2020 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
23ABC Homicide Tracker

23ABC Homicide Tracker