Coronavirus Update: Gov. Newsom To Announce Initiative To Help Healthcare Workers
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Gov. Gavin Newsom will join workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic on Monday as he's expected to announce a major initiative that could also help California's healthcare workforce.
On Saturday, Newsom and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo took a tour of Sunnyvale company Bloom Energy where hundreds of old ventilators the state had in storage are being refurbished as part of the fight against coronavirus.
Newsom says the state had 514 ventilators that hadn't been unboxed since 2011 and there's no better time than now to get more ventilators up and running.
The governor also talked about securing more N-95 masks for healthcare workers.
Additionally, more than 350 businesses and manufacturers in California reached out to offer to re-tool their facilities to make medical supplies and essential products during this crisis.
Some of those businesses include the Gap and St. John Knits making masks, gowns and scrubs for hospital workers; and Anheuser-Busch and other distilleries pivoting operations to produce hand sanitizer.