Open AccessDemand and supply of invasive and noninvasive ventilators at the peak of the COVID‐19 outbreak in Okinawa
Author(s) -
Kuniya Toshikazu,
Nakama Yasunori,
Tokuda Yasuharu
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of general and family medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2189-7948
DOI - 10.1002/jgf2.336
Subject(s) - medicine , covid-19 , outbreak , pandemic , emergency medicine , mechanical ventilator , intensive care medicine , mechanical ventilation , psychological intervention , medical emergency , disease , virology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , nursing
While Okinawa has been facing outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, healthcare collapse should be prevented by sufficient supply of ventilators for caring the rapidly growing number of critically ill patients with COVID‐19. We estimated the number of invasive and noninvasive ventilators that would be required in Okinawa at the peak of the COVID‐19 outbreak based on recent data of COVID‐19 cases in Okinawa and data on the proportion of patients with COVID‐19 in the ICU requiring ventilation. Based on our results using the current supply of all ventilators, demand for ventilators could be prepared for patients with COVID‐19 who would require it and demand for noninvasive ventilators could also be prepared for those with COVID‐19 who would require it. The higher supply over the demand would be achieved by flattening the epidemic curve by implementing public health interventions to delay and suppress the epidemic peak in Okinawa.