You can't convert a factory and start making ventilators in two weeks either.
imposing red tape on companies precisely when they need flexibility to deal with closed borders and shuttered factories.”
So we’re reliant on other countries? (”closed borders” are an issue in building ventilators?)
As Karl Denninger has pointed out, if they have to put you on a ventilator you have about a 5% chance of survival, anyway. The disease progression has to be headed off quicker using anti-viral medications.
As someone that's spent a career improving manufacturing operations, I can tell you that I have yet to see anything that is truly unique. Not saying it isn't out there, but too many don't understand their processes well enough, so they want to dumb down everybody they talk to. Aside from a process industry like a refinery or a foundry, if there is a process that is understood, it shouldn't be that hard. Someone would essentially just assemble and test it, but sadly, most companies don't do that well. The key aspect would be getting the components and setting up the assembly process.
I would wager that a unit could be assembled in under two hours, and that's being conservative. The first 2-4 units might be a bit of curve, but after that, it only gets easier.