Britain places new order for 10,000 ventilators- source

LONDON, March 29 (Reuters) - Britain has placed an order for 10,000 ventilators to be made by a consortium of companies including Ford, Airbus and Rolls-Royce as part of efforts to fight coronavirus, an industry source told Reuters.

Governments around the world are trying to boost the number of ventilators- mechanical breathing devices that can blow air and oxygen into the lungs- which are available to their health services.

They are crucial for the care of people with lung failure, which can be one of the complications suffered by patients with severe COVID-19, the disease coronavirus causes. But they don’t necessarily save people.

An announcement is due on Monday, the source said.

British media previously reported the news. A spokeswoman at Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street declined to offer an immediate comment when contacted by Reuters. (Reporting by Costas Pitas, editing by Louise Heavens)