They are a vital piece of equipment in the fight against Covid-19.

Now five medical ventilators are to be formally handed over to Cork’s biggest hospital by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr John Sheehan tomorrow as part of a generous donation by a hospital in China.

The ventilators, which will be located at Cork University Hospital, were donated by Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai, facilitated by the Shanghai Municipal Office of Foreign Affairs, as part of Cork City Council’s efforts during the global pandemic to help source medical equipment for the city through its strong relationship with Shanghai and its partner cities in China.

Cllr Sheehan will accept the donation at CUH on Friday morning, June 5th at 11am.

“Hospital consultants from CUH worked closely with Cork City Council and the delivery of the ventilators to Cork University Hospital was administered through the Shanghai Municipal Health Development Foundation and the Irish Embassy in Beijing.” said a statement from Cork City Council.

Before the pandemic began, there were approximately 1,300 ventilators available in Irish hospitals. In March, the Health Service Executive confirmed 900 new ventilators had been ordered for use with patients with Covid-19.

Yesterday the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) confirmed that three more people diagnosed with Covid-19 in Ireland have died – bringing the total deaths to 1,659. 47 additional cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, with the total of confirmed cases now at 25,111.