Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government has signed deals with three Canadian companies — Thornhill Medical, Medicom and Spartan Bioscience — to make medical supplies over the coming weeks to cope with the country’s rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
The Canadian government says it’s ordering millions of masks and thousands of ventilators to cope with the country’s rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today that his government has inked deals with three Canadian companies — Thornhill Medical, Medicom and Spartan Bioscience — to make critical medical supplies, including ventilators, surgical masks, test kits and other items, over the coming weeks
“We know that the demand for critical equipment and supplies will grow in the coming weeks, so we need a sustainable, stable supply of these products,” Trudeau said this morning.
“And that means making them at home and we’re optimistic that they will be available in the coming weeks.”
Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand said the government ordered 60 million N95 masks — a type of mask designed and fitted to filter out particles that carry the COVID-19 virus — which will begin arriving this week.
The federal government also has ordered close to 1,570 ventilators and more than a million COVID-19 test kits.
WATCH: ‘Made-in-Canada solutions,’ Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government is focusing on made-in-Canada procurement to obtain ventilators, surgical masks, test kits and other medical supplies to cope with Canada’s increasing COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks. 1:18
Anand said the government also is trying to secure an additional 4,000 ventilators — a crucial piece of equipment in a battle against a disease that attacks the lungs and can make it difficult for people to breathe on their own.
“This is all hands on deck,” she said Tuesday. “Our government is leaving no stone unturned.”
As part of the deal, Toronto-based Thornhill Medical is making 500 mobile compact ventilator systems and expects to have them out the door in early April.
“We are honoured to provide our Canadian-made ventilator system to support Canadians and our health care system in its efforts to fight COVID-19,” said Thornhill Medical CEO Lesley Gouldie.
More supplies coming
Trudeau said Ottawa also has signed letters of intent with five other companies — Precision Biomonitoring, Fluid Energy Group, Irving Oil, Calko Group and Stanfield’s —