| The war against the coronavirus is complicated by the shortage of medical equipment, including ventilators. A ventilator handles the body’s breathing process when a disease causes the lungs to fail. Covid-19 is one of such diseases. Over 193,000 people have recovered from the disease and the World Health Organisation says many don’t even need hospital treatment to recover. However, over 742,000 cases remain active. Some cases could get really severe and cause difficulty in breathing.
Ventilators help offset this problem and give the body a chance to fight off the virus. But the equipment is in short supply as hospitals are overwhelmed with rising cases of Covid-19. TechCabal’s Kay Ugwuede writes that in Nigeria, there are less than 100 ventilators. Meanwhile, confirmed cases of the virus is rising fast as more people are being tested.
A number of tech leaders in Nigeria are working hard to manufacture more ventilators before active cases peak. In this article, Kay explores the work of Tomi Davis, Lifebank’s Temie Giwa-Tubosun and other groups who are trying to tackle the shortage before cases truly escalate. |
