Fitbit, which makes fitness-tracking wearables, will be shifting supply chain resources to make emergency ventilators, Fitbit CEO James Park said to CNBC. The ventilators will be used to help treat COVID-19 patients and could help bolster the national supply of the medical devices, which have been in need during the pandemic.
“There was a lot of concern about the shortage of ventilators and we realized we had expertise already around the supply chain,” Park said to CNBC.
The CEO didn’t outline the capabilities of the ventilator, but he claimed it would be the “most advanced” design that’s still available at a “lower” price than the tens of thousands of dollars they normally cost. It’s more sophisticated than some of the basic, emergency-oriented ventilators companies have scrambled to make during the pandemic.
There are some challenges. As mentioned earlier, the relatively late timing could leave Fitbit making relatively few ventilators — not that people will complain if infections are on the decline. There’s also the question of whether or not the ventilators are effective. As CNBC explained, some studies have suggested that ventilators aren’t all that useful in preventing COVID-19 deaths. This is a good gesture, but not necessarily an effective one.
