Coronavirus explainer: do we have enough ventilators?

Ventilators will be vital to treat the sickest of the sick.

Treatment for those whose respiratory system is seriously affected by coronavirus is oxygen therapy which is delivered either externally or by ventilator depending on the seriousness of the patients condition.

At the moment Scotland has around 360 ventitlators in hospitals, and around 190 Level 3 Intensive Care Unit beds, which are able to provide ventilatory support.

With a worst case scenario of 80 per cent of the population becoming infected, the NHS could be overwhelmed. However, Nicola Sturgeon has moved to assure the public that the "stringent measures" announced yesterday - to ensure people self-isolate, don't use public transport, don't go to the cinema or pubs, work from home - will delay the spread of the virus, protect the ability of the NHS to provide treatment and to save lives.

However, the government has already ordered new ventilators to take the numbers up to 700.

Why are they needed?

Ventilators are designed to put oxygen into the lungs of patients with acute respiratory difficulties. They are of critical importance for those in danger of lung failure, a typical cause of death for patients infected with the coronavirus.

The Department of Health has said that in a worst case scenario the NHS in the UK will need an additional 20,000 of the machines. A rough estimate would suggest that Scotland might then require 2000.

Around 30 per cent of those admitted to hospital in Italy needed intensive care, so there will be huge demand for ventilators.

So where are they coming from?

The Scottish Government has said it is using its normal supplier route, but is also exploring opportunities with other suppliers. As part of its four nations planning with the UK Government and administrations in Northern Ireland and Wales, it is also looking at a number of potential innovative opportunities for supplies. Boris Johnson has also hosted a call with domestic manufacturers to increase the national production.

Ford, Honda, car parts firm Unipart, digger maker JCB, and aero-engine maker Rolls Royce are among companies looking into the feasibility of switching some production.

The UK is not unusual in this. Governments across Europe have stepped up the demand for ventilators. Italy, the country at the centre of the European outbreak, has told the country’s only ventilator manufacturer to quadruple monthly production, even deploying members of the armed forces to help meet the new quota.

Germany has also ordered an additional 10,000 ventilators from a domestic supplier and France is conducting a nationwide survey into its own stocks including outside the public health system as it anticipates shortages.

When will they be ready to install in hospitals?

There is no clear date but the Scottish Government has said the orders are placed and it is "working with suppliers to have the ventilators delivered as soon as possible". Nicola Sturgeon has spoken of the "next few weeks".

The move is also not cheap, as each ventilator can cost between £20,000 and £30,000 depending on the machine's specification.

The UK's only specialist maker of ventilators for intensive care units is Breas, in Stratford-upon-Avon, and it has said it's already increased capacity and moved to seven-day working.

Are there enough specialised staff to use them?

As well as stepping up the numbers of ventilators, the government has said that "as a matter of urgency" it is providing additional specialised training for NHS staff so they are competent to use ventilators. That will mean many high dependency unit staff trained to work in intensive care, and it aims to "double intensive care capacity as a minimum".

There is also planning underway to ensure that the machinery is where it will be most needed.

Nicola Sturgeon has also said the government is "progressively postponing non-urgent elective treatment" in the NHS in order to free up capacity.