
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the state is "literally at the edge" in regards to the number of ventilators available to treat coronavirus patients.
There are 61 ventilators available in the state warehouses, New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said.
Persichilli said there is a concern about the number of ventilators, and that they are looking for another option.
"We do inventories of alternative ventilators, anesthesia machines, BiPAP machines, home ventilators," Persichilli said. "We’re having the most efficient and effective result with anesthesia machines, of which we have a lot of, but they do have to be modified.”
Murphy said officials were on the phone with the White House Saturday morning and expressed that ventilators are a priority.
Some context: The latest model projections report the hospitalizations in New Jersey will peak at 15,922 and ICU admissions will be about 3,821 –– but that changes daily, Persichilli said.
She believes the state will have bed spaces for everyone, but the concern continues to be the availability of personal protection equipment and ventilators.
Persichilli also said the USNS Comfort, a military hospital ship in New York City, will now be accepting patients from New Jersey hospitals.