A Toronto, Ont., company says it is ready to start making ventilators in a bid to meet expected demand in the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Thornhill Medical is a company that manufactures ventilators — specifically a type that is compact, self-contained and portable, called the MOVES SLC.
The company, which has signed a letter of intent with the federal government, says the device can provide all the crucial functions of a modern intensive care unit, on battery power.
President and CEO Lesley Gouldie said the device was first developed in partnership with the U.S. Marines and has been deployed by them as well as by other militaries in the field.
There are around 200 of them out there, she added.
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MOVES SLC is a compact, portable, self-contained device made by Thornhill Medical that provides all of the crucial functions available in a modern intensive care unit and integrates the functions of a ventilator, generating its own oxygen from the air.
Thornhill Medical
But now, with the pandemic putting Canada’s ventilator supply in the spotlight, Thornhill Medical can be one of the companies that ramp up manufacturing to meet demand.
Ventilators are medical devices that help people experiencing difficulty breathing to receive oxygen. Shortages of the devices are one of the key factors in Italy’s struggle to treat COVID-19 patients.
3:09 Coronavirus outbreak: COVID-19 cases spike in NYC as U.S. scrambles to deliver ventilators
Coronavirus outbreak: COVID-19 cases spike in NYC as U.S. scrambles to deliver ventilators
Italy is currently the hardest-hit country in Europe and is trying to procure more ventilators. Bracing for the same kind of shortage, Britain has asked auto manufacturers to pivot to making ventilators.
Canada has around 5,000 ventilators, according to remarks made by deputy chief public health officer Howard Njoo on Saturday.
As of March 22, there had been at least 20 deaths in Canada, with 1,388 confirmed cases.
“We have tested over 92,000 people across the provinces and territories,” Njoo told reporters on Sunday. “That’s over 54,000 additional people tested across Canada over the past five days.”
A March 20 statement from the Prime Minister’s Office outlines the federal government’s plan to mobilize Canadian businesses in response to COVID-19.
Thornhill Medical is described by the PMO as a company that is “working to supply Canada’s need for” ventilators and has signed a letter of intent with the government.
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Montreal hospital foundation launches ventilator challenge
The MOVES SLC device is capable of treating patients in places other than an ICU room.
“The patient can be attached to the ventilator on a bed and be treated in any environment so that you’re not restricted to an ICU hospital room,” Gouldie said.
“So it gives the caregivers and care providers maximum flexibility in terms of managing the patients and not being limited by being attached to oxygen at a walled source.”
She said the company is in conversations with the federal government in getting the “logistics lined up.”
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“We need to understand what the demand is because that actually drives the operational,” she told Global News on Sunday.
“We’re in conversation with the federal government and the Ontario government and we need to understand what the full picture is before we can actually have a fully operational plan,” she said.
With under 100 employees currently, the company is able to ramp up manufacturing via its own capacity as well as by roping in a third-party manufacturer.
The portable ICU unit is a “sophisticated” machine that is a combination of several products, Gouldie explained.
“So depending upon how many shifts you’re running, how many hands you got touching it, it can take somewhere from 20 to 40 hours to manufacture one device, depending upon how you set up your manufacturing processes,” she said.
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Coronavirus outbreak: Officials say they’re purchasing ventilators to preempt need
They’re already looking to scale up: “We’ll definitely be running additional shifts. And then once we understand what the demand is, there’s adding additional people as well.”
She says the federal government has been “extremely responsive.”
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“Given the measures that have been put in place by the federal government, I fully expect that we will be extremely well supported in terms of being able to execute on that,” Gouldie said.
“It’s going to be an interesting few days.”
Recently, a number of provincial health ministers have been announcing plans to purchase ventilators.
Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott told reporters last Wednesday, “We certainly have an adequate supply for what we’re dealing with right now.”
The province has ordered 300 more ventilators which it expects to receive shortly, she added. Auto part makers are also looking to retool so they can produce ventilators in Ontario.
“We know with many borders shutting down, we need to find our own source internally,” Elliot said.
At his Sunday press conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the government’s plan for guaranteeing supplies such as masks and ventilators.
He said they’ve already seen “a tremendous, positive response from companies.”
1:47 Will Canada have enough ventilators to cope with COVID-19?
Will Canada have enough ventilators to cope with COVID-19?
“These are things that we’re going to continue to do and we can assure companies that produce these things that we need them and we will use them,” Trudeau said.
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Global News has reached out to the federal government and the PMO with regards to the exact demand for companies like Thornhill Medical. This story will be updated with a response once received.
— With files by Global News’ Kieron O’Dea, Reuters, The Canadian Press and Global News reporter Kerri Breen
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State has asked a judge to decide key parts of its lawsuit against the Atlantic Coast Conference without a trial, hoping for a quicker resolution and path to a possible exit from the league.
Florida State requested a partial summary judgment from Circuit Judge John Cooper in a 574-page document filed earlier this week in Leon County, the Tallahassee-based school’s home court.
Florida State sued the ACC in December, challenging the validity of a contract that binds member schools to the conference and each other through media rights and claiming the league’s exit fees and penalties for withdrawal are exorbitant and unfair.
In its original compliant, Florida State said it would cost the school more than half a billion dollars to break the grant of rights and leave the ACC.
“The recently-produced 2016 ESPN agreements expose that the ACC has no rights to FSU home games played after it leaves the conference,” Florida State said in the filing.
Florida State is asking a judge to rule on the exit fees and for a summary judgment on its breach of contract claim, which says the conference broke its bylaws when it sued the school without first getting a majority vote from the entire league membership.
The case is one of four active right now involving the ACC and one of its members.
The ACC has sued Florida State in North Carolina, claiming the school is breaching a contract that it has signed twice in the last decade simply by challenging it.
The judge in Florida has already denied the ACC’s motion to dismiss or pause that case because the conference filed first in North Carolina. The conference appealed the Florida decision in a hearing earlier this week.
Clemson is also suing the ACC in South Carolina, trying to find an affordable potential exit, and the conference has countersued that school in North Carolina, too.
The dispute is tied to the ACC’s long-term deal with ESPN, which runs through 2036, and leaves those schools lagging well behind competitors in the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten when it comes to conference-payout revenue.
Florida State has said the athletic department is in danger of falling behind by as much as $40 million annually by being in the ACC.
“Postponing the resolution of this question only compounds the expense and travesty,” the school said in the latest filing.
The ACC has implemented a bonus system called a success initiative that will reward schools for accomplishments on the field and court, but Florida State and Clemson are looking for more as two of the conference’s highest-profile brands and most successful football programs.
The ACC evenly distributes revenue from its broadcast deal, though new members California, Stanford and SMU receive a reduced and no distribution. That money is used to fund the pool for the success initiative.
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QUEBEC – Australian road cyclist Michael Matthews raced to victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec on Friday.
Matthews earned a record third career victory in Quebec City. He was previously tied with Slovakia’s Peter Sagan with two wins.
The Jayco-AlUla rider won the fastest edition of the Quebec race on the UCI World Tour calendar.
Matthews, who claimed titles in 2018 and 2019, edged out Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay and France’s Rudy Molard in a thrilling sprint.
Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar, the heavy favourite, was unable to follow through with his attack launched just over two kilometres from the finish line. He finished in seventh place.
Pogacar will look to redeem himself at the Montreal cycling Grand Prix on Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have loaned midfielder Jay Herdman to Cavalry FC of the Canadian Premier League and rewarded two Whitecaps FC 2 players with MLS contracts.
Midfielder Jeevan Badwal signed as a homegrown player through 2027, with options for 2028 and 2029, while forward Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau signed an MLS contract through 2025, with club options for 2026 and 2027.
Both have been playing for the Whitecaps’ MLS Next Pro team along with the 20-year-old Herdman, the son of Toronto FC coach John Herdman.
The moves were made before Friday’s MLS and CPL roster freeze.
Born in New Zealand while his father was working for the New Zealand Football Federation, Jay Herdman was also part of the New Zealand soccer team at the Paris Olympics with three appearances including two starts. Herdman’s loan deal runs through the end of the CPL season.
“Jay is an important signing for us, who will provide another attacking option for the run-in,” Cavalry coach and GM Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said in a statement. “He’s a player that we’ve been tracking since we played against Whitecaps in pre-season and he has very good quality, with terrific energy and the ability to contribute to goals.
“With the recent injury to Mael Henry, Jay’s positional profile and age helps us with on-field options and minutes that count towards the league’s required 2,000 U-21 domestic minutes during the regular season.”
Badwal, an 18-year-old from suburban Surrey, is the 26th academy player to sign an MLS contract with the Whitecaps.
“Having joined our academy in 2019, Jeevan continues to progress through our club and takes every challenge in stride,” Whitecaps FC sporting director Axel Schuster said in a statement. “He is comfortable on the ball, positionally sound, and does the simple things very well. We are excited for Jeevan to make the next step in his young career.”
Badwal has made 19 appearances with Whitecaps 2 this season, scoring two goals and adding three assists. A Canadian youth international, he started all three matches for Canada at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup
Badwal made his first-team debut off the bench in the first leg of the Canadian Championship semifinal against Pacific FC.
Chateau was originally selected 74th overall by the Whitecaps in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft after spending two years at St. John’s University.
The 22-year-old from Ottawa signed an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Whitecaps FC 2 in March. He leads Whitecaps FC 2 in goal-scoring this season with eight goals across 21 appearances (including eight starts).
“Nicolas leads MLS NEXT Pro in shots on target, has a very strong work rate and willpower. We are looking forward to seeing his growth as he builds on his young professional career,” said Schuster.
Chateau made his first-team debut as a second-half substitute at CF Montreal on July 6.
Herdman, who joined the Whitecaps academy as a 13-year-old, has made 19 appearances for Whitecaps FC 2 in 2024, scoring six goals and adding three assists. He made his MLS debut in April as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 victory at the Seattle Sounders.
Internationally, Herdman has represented New Zealand 29 times across the U-19, U-20, and U-23 sides. He was part of New Zealand’s squad at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, starting three matches at the tournament and scoring against Uzbekistan.
The Whitecaps host San Jose on Saturday while Cavalry entertains Atletico Ottawa on Sunday.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024
