Coronavirus ventilator wins UK approval in run-up to NHS rollout

Penlon’s ESO2 device becomes first model to get green light from UK’s healthcare regulator. Formal approval comes amid mounting concern that tens of thousands of ventilators ordered by the government are still awaiting regulatory clearance. The length of the process has stoked fears about the readiness of the NHS for a surge in patients requiring ventilation. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has said the government wants to increase ventilator stocks from 10,000 to 18,000 to be sure of having enough.