Ventilator Makers Ramp Up as Coronavirus Drives Hospital Demand

Manufacturers of the ventilators vital to helping patients fight coronavirus infections are working with federal regulators to ramp up production in anticipation of growing demand.

Purchasing groups that keep hospitals supplied are already being told by some contractors that ventilators are on backorder as the infection, known as Covid-19, spreads across the country, Cathy Denning, group senior vice president for sourcing at Vizient Inc., a group purchasing organization, said. Nearly 1,700 confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported in the U.S. as of Monday.

“There are limited supplies of ventilators and hospital beds, which is why hospitals and public health officials ...