Ford joining forces with 3M, GE, and UAW to build hospital respirators, ventilators, and face shields from F-150 seat fans and other off-the-shelf parts

Ford Motor Company announced yesterday that it will be joining forces with 3M, GE, and the UAW to address the critical shortage of certain hospital equipment necessary to treat patients and protect health care workers and first responders.

Operators and assemblers assemble medical face shields.

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Co. (Fair Use)

The company plans to use seat ventilation fans from its F-150 truck and 3M HEPA air filters to manufacture powered air purifying respirators (PARS). These units pull contaminated air thru the filter and send it into an enclosed face mask. The units will use portable tool battery packs to provide up to 8 hours of power.

In addition, Ford and GE Healthcare are working to increase production of a simpler version of GE's existing ventilator system to help patients with respiratory failure or breathing difficulties caused by COVID-19.

Finally, Ford has been creating and will soon test transparent full-face shields for medical workers and first responders. When used with N95 respirators, they will provide added protection to limit exposure to the virus.

For more information, including a schematic of the proposed PARS design:

How Ford Is Using Seat Ventilation Fans to Build Thousands of Respirators

Grocery shopping tips to minimize risks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

We hope you all are doing your best to stay safe during this worldwide emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo credit: Consumer Reports (fair use)

Here are some tips on how to minimize the risks to you, your family, and those you encounter when buying groceries and other items from the grocery store.

How to protect yourself from Coronavirus when grocery shopping


Stay safe!

CDC to hold online COVID-19 webinar on Wednesday, March 18

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will hold an informational webinar tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST (10 a.m. PDT).

Experts from CDC will discuss the current state of the pandemic, what CDC is doing to respond, and how partners, organizations, and the public can help.

The webinar may be viewed on Facebook at the CDC's Emergency Preparedness and Response page.

Closed captioning for the hearing impaired will be available.

Governor Newsom calls for the shutdown of bars, wineries, brewpubs, and the home isolation of seniors and others

California's Governor Gavin Newsom today called for additional measures to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic and protect the health and safety of Californians.

In a press conference this afternoon (see video link below), the Governor called for the closure of all bars, wineries, and brew pubs, referring to them as non-essential services. In addition, he asked that all those 65 and over self-isolate in their homes, as well as those with pre-existing conditions.

The Governor also said that at this time, he is not calling for the closure of restaurants, however, he directed that they reduce their capacity in half and implement social distancing measures for their patrons.

It was unclear as to whether the Governor's actions were an official order or proclamation or not. In his comments, he briefly referred to potential enforcement actions, but, he said, as with previously issued guidance, the private sector for the most part has responded positively to that guidance. He expects the same to happen now.