Dyson says UK government does not need its COVID-19 ventilator

Vacuum cleaner company Dyson said the British government no longer needed the ventilator it had developed from scratch to help plug a shortfall of the devices needed to treat patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms. Dyson said last month it had received an order for 10,000 of the machines. The new design needed regulatory approval before the devices could be used on large numbers of patients.

Company founder James Dyson said the company had welcomed Prime Minister Boris Johnson's challenge to build ventilators. "Mercifully they are not required, but we don't regret our contribution to the national effort for one moment," he said in a statement.