Albany, N.Y. — Gov. Andrew Cuomo is asking businesses in New York for help manufacturing more of the medical supplies that will be needed to confront the coronavirus in the weeks ahead.

Cuomo specifically mentioned items like masks, gloves and gowns for health care workers during a press briefing today in Albany. He said the state would “pay a premium” for those products from companies that make them now.

He asked any businesses that could conceivably help to adapt their operations to make the needed products.

"If you can make them, we will give you the funding to do it," he said. "I'm asking businesses to get creative."

The state has already started dipping into its existing stockpiles of medical supplies and shipping them to hospitals in need, Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said.

Any business interested in funding for setting up new operations should contact Empire State Development at 212-803-3100 or by email at COVID19supplies@esd.ny.gov. Companies that already make masks or other necessary supplies and want to sell them to the state should contact Cuomo’s office at 646-522-8477 or by email at covid19supplies@exec.ny.gov.

“I’ll pay businesses more," Cuomo said of the need for medical supplies. “I’ll fund a new business if you can make these products.

“I’m doing everything I can to increase the production.”

The state is also continuing its search for more ventilators. They’re the key pieces of equipment needed to fight coronavirus, which can cause serious respiratory illnesses in some people.

Cuomo said there are numerous health care facilities in the state that have ventilators on hand, but probably aren't actively using them right now. He said the Department of Health will order those sites to make the spare devices available to the state.

“We need those ventilators,” he said. “The ventilators are to this war what missiles were to World War II.”

Any health care facilities with extra ventilators should contact the Health Department at 518-281-5120.

The state continues to work on adding more hospital beds to its current total of 53,000, Cuomo said. New York will need more than double that number when coronavirus peaks in about 45 days.

The state plans to cancel all noncritical, elective surgeries, probably next week, Cuomo said. That will free up 25% to 35% of existing beds.

Officials have also started evaluating sites around New York that could be used as temporary health care facilities to add even more beds. They include:

The Javits Center in New York City

Multiple City University of New York sites

State University of New York campuses at Purchase, Stony Brook, Farmingdale and Rockland

St. John’s University

Fordham University

The state could eventually start moving New York City-area patients to Upstate New York, which so far has fewer cases.

“Wherever we have beds and equipment, that’s where we would put people,” Cuomo said.

Coronavirus continues to spike in New York. Cases tripled in the last two days to over 7,100.

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