The US FDA on 17 February labeled a recall of 2,605 Bellavista 1000 and 1000e series ventilators as class I. Vyaire Medical Inc. had recalled the vents in late December.

No patient injuries have been reported due to the problem, which is now the subject of a voluntary field correction.

Seven companies – GE, Medtronic, ResMed, Hill-Rom, Vyaire, Hamilton Medical and Zoll – will manufacture 64,431 medical ventilators under the Defense Production Act at a cost of more than $1.4bn, the US Department of Health and Human Services said on 13 April. That figure, when combined with the $646.7m recently awarded to Royal Philips to make 45,500 vents, means the US government will spend more than $2bn on the devices.

Hospital and health care facility managers who want to prevent the spread of infection in patients susceptible to the novel coronavirus were advised on 8 April on how to disinfect ventilators and other devices in a set of newly updated guidances from the US Medicare agency.