In the midst of a shortage of medical equipment, French President Emmanuel Macron visited this Tuesday the factory for manufacturing Kolmi-Hopen masks on the outskirts of Angers (Maine-et-Loire).
Manufacture of respirators, production of masks, endowment for Public Health France… 20 Minutes reviews the announcements of the Head of State.
10 million 100% French masks
The factory visited by Emmanuel Macron, located in Saint-Barthélémy d'Anjou, is now running 24 hours a day to increase its production after having recruited 35 fixed-term contracts. It releases 270,000 FFP2 masks every day (nearly 2 million per week) and 450,000 surgical masks (3 million per week). All the elements, from the elastic to the mask, are made in France.
"In late April we will be more than 10 million" of masks made in France each week and "we will continue this effort," said the head of state. "I want us to achieve full independence by the end of the year," he added, when France was forced to import more than a billion masks mainly from China. and has already placed "additional orders". The increase in production in the four French mask companies will make it possible to increase the national effort from 15 million to 40 million masks per month during April. But the needs for nursing staff and nursing homes are estimated at 40 million per week, said the Elysee.
French industrial groups mobilized for respirators
A consortium composed of four major French industrial groups was created with the aim of manufacturing "by mid-May 10,000 respirators" to equip hospitals overwhelmed by severe cases of patients contaminated by the coronavirus, also announced Emmanuel Macron . This consortium led by Air Liquide, also brings together the specialist in electrical equipment Schneider Electric, the automotive supplier Valeo and the manufacturer PSA, he said. This initiative will add to the increase in orders already placed by the State. The consortium will produce heavy respirators to equip the additional beds announced by the Minister of Health Olivier Véran last week.
France wants to reach a capacity of around 14,000 intensive care beds on the national territory to cope with the influx of patients, against 5,000 beds before the crisis. It will be 8,500 Osiris models and 1,500 T60 models, more complex, both already manufactured by Air Liquide. They will be manufactured in the Air Liquide Medical Systems factory in Antony (Hauts-de-Seine) and on a PSA site in Poissy (Yvelines). Since the start of the crisis, Air Liquide has already expanded its assembly line to increase its production of resuscitation ventilators and non-invasive ventilators for home health.
Four billion euros spent on medical equipment
"A specific endowment of four billion euros" will be allocated to Public Health France to finance orders "for drugs, respirators and masks," said Emmanuel Macron. "It is obviously an exceptional contribution which shows the mobilization also of the State and its financings", he added.
Health
Coronavirus: Treat FFP2 masks to reuse them? Current possibilities are limited
Health
Coronavirus: Are homemade protective masks effective for caregivers and individuals?
- Video
- Hospital
- Covid 19
- Coronavirus
- Emmanuel Macron