Today's Topline - 4/29/20
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Source: MedTech Association
Good Wednesday morning:
Today’s reporting about the lethality of the coronavirus is chilling: not only is the disease deadlier than the seasonal flu, but overall death rates in hard-hit places suggest that COVID-19 deaths have been significantly undercounted. As the New York Times reports, “total deaths in seven states that have been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic are nearly 50 percent higher than normal for the five weeks from March 8 through April 11, according to new death statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is 9,000 more deaths than were reported as of April 11 in official counts of deaths from the coronavirus. The new data is partial and most likely undercounts the recent death toll significantly. But it still illustrates how the coronavirus is causing a surge in deaths in the places it has struck, probably killing more people than the reported statistics capture. These increases belie arguments that the virus is only killing people who would have died anyway from other causes. Instead, the virus has brought a pattern of deaths unlike anything seen in recent years.”
In other news, FuzeHub, the statewide center for the New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NY MEP), announced the winners of its COVID-19 Manufacturing Grants initiative, a competitive grant program to accelerate production of ventilators and N95 respirators in New York State.
FuzeHub awarded a total of $300,000 in grant funding to four New York manufacturers.
- Precision Valve & Automation (PVA), Cohoes, N.Y., $100,000 to support its production of its PVA PREVENT™ emergency ventilator
- Spiro Devices, Brooklyn, N.Y., $100,000 to accelerate production of its Spiro Wave ventilation device
- Environmental Composites, Utica, N.Y., $50,000 for N95 mask manufacturing
- General Composites, Willsboro, N.Y., $50,000 for N95 mask manufacturing.
“When New York State called for help, our manufacturing industry answered. Local manufacturers have been innovative, resourceful and courageous in addressing critical needs to combat the coronavirus,” said FuzeHub Executive Director Elena Garuc. “The winners of FuzeHub’s COVID-19 Manufacturing Grants pivoted quickly and focused intensely on trying to solve some of the biggest problems our world has ever faced. Despite the magnitude of the challenge, these New York manufacturers stood tall and found a way to produce essential supplies that will help stop the spread of the virus and save lives. We’re grateful for their determination in this fight.”
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