PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — In an effort to help New York–the state with the most cases of coronavirus in the country–Oregon governor Kate Brown has ordered the delivery of 140 ventilators to the Empire State.
Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed the “gift” on Saturday from New York, where the virus has killed more than 2,900 people.
“Governor Brown made the decision to send 140 ventilators to help save the lives of New York’s critical COVID-19 patients, because Oregon is in a better position right now,” Governor Brown’s office said in a statement released Saturday. “
“New York is the current epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States,” the release further stated. “Their hospitals are at full capacity. At this stage in Oregon, our social distancing measures are helping to ensure that our hospitals have enough ventilators for our current number of COVID-19 patients. If Oregon later finds itself in need of ventilators, New York and other states will respond to our call for assistance.”
Brown’s statement concluded by saying Oregon still doesn’t have everything it needs to fight COVID-19, but it was in the unique position to respond to New York’s call for ventilators.
More than 102,000 confirmed cases have put a stranglehold on New York; the majority of reported cases are from New York City.
“This is a big deal and it’s going to make a significant difference for us,” the governor said Saturday.
Cuomo thanked Oregon’s governor Kate Brown in a Tweet saying his state will “repay the favor when Oregon needs it.”
New York will also receive 1,000 ventilators from China. The Chinese government and billionaires Jack Ma and Joseph Tsai, the co-founders of the online marketplace Alibaba, facilitated the batch of ventilators and were due to arrive Saturday.