The Government has praised the manufacturers who have joined forced to make ventilators for the NHS as it battles the coronavirus crisis- and says those devices will soon roll off the production lines.

Michael Gove hosted today’s press briefing at Downing Street outlining the Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic which has so far cost 1,789 lives.

Mr Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said “now is absolutely not the time for people to imagine there can be any relaxation or slackening” of lockdown measures despite some signs the rate of infection was being flattened.

This week saw the launch of the Ventilator Challenge UK Consortium, including companies such as Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes, McLaren and Dell.

T oday Mr Gove said: “We have just over 8,000 ventilators in the NHS now. This number has increased since the epidemic began, thanks to the hard work of NHS professionals, but we need more.

“That’s why we are buying more ventilators from abroad, including from EU nations. That’s also why we’re developing new sources of supply at home.

“Before the epidemic struck, we had a small number of domestic manufacturers of ventilators. But now, thanks to the dedication of existing medical supply companies and the ingenuity of manufacturing businesses, more of the existing models are being produced in significantly greater numbers and new models are coming on stream.

“Orders have been placed with the consortia led by Ford, Airbus, the Formula One teams including McLaren, GKN Aerospace, and Rolls Royce and Dyson”.

Mr Gove added: “And I can announce that his weekend, the first thousands of new ventilator devices will roll off the production line and be delivered to the NHS next week. From there they will be rapidly distributed to the front line.

“As well as increasing capacity for ventilation which helps those patients worst affected, we’re also increasing the capacity providing oxygen to affected patients in the earliest stages of the disease, to avoid deterioration of the condition.

“A team led by UCL working with Mercedes Benz will produce 10,000 CPAC devices to support affected patients and a team from Oxford University are also developing related technology.”

Mr Gove was also asked about the ongoing uncertainty among businesses about whether they should stay open – and the resulting fears of workers.

He said: “I appreciate that when people are considering decisions about going to work, the one thing they want to know is ‘am I doing the right thing?’

“We’ve stressed that, wherever possible, people should work at home. That’s easier in some jobs, careers and professions than others but there are people who are going to work in construction and manufacturing, in food supply, who are contributing to making sure the broad health and wellbeing of the nation is maintained.

“There’s clear guidance on the importance of social distancing. If it’s the case that any employee feels they’re working – such as in a call centre, which can often be vital for making sure that services are provided – is not consistent with social distancing guidelines, they should get in touch with me and we will point out to their employers the vital importance of make sure that people are kept safe at work.”

Tonight Chancellor Rishi Sunak added that import taxes on vital medial equipment, including ventilators, would be waived.