On Wednesday, Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk offered to manufacture ventilators for sufferers of COVID-19.

Ventilators are fundamentally crucial medical equipment that allows patients in critical condition to breathe by mechanically transmitting air into and out of their lungs.

Since coronavirus  infects people's lungs, countries facing a vast rise of cases like the U.S. and Italy are running out of the device.

Musk tweeted that his companies could make the breathing machines "if there's a shortage."

 

After the SpaceX CEO was told by FiveThirtyEight's chief editor Nate Silver that the ventilator shortages are already happening, he tweeted out a follow-up question asking about hospitals experiencing shortages.

"Tesla makes cars with sophisticated HVAC systems. SpaceX makes spacecraft with life support systems. Ventilators are not difficult, but cannot be produced instantly," Musk said before asking: "Which hospitals have these shortages you speak of right now?"

On Thursday, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted Elon Musk that "New York City is buying!"

The two are reportedly connecting to see what New York City's ventilator needs are.

If ever this happens, Tesla will join other motor companies offering their help. Ford and General Motors are already in-talks with the White House.

According to experts, they have warned that there will be a shortage of critical supplies in the months ahead as the COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, continues to spread.

Hospitals across the U.S. are having difficulty obtaining enough ventilators to match the influx of new patients amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

There are currently 162,000 breathing machines and 12,700 are in reserve as emergency medical supplies maintained by the federal government. The government, however, is certain that it is not going to be enough.

Andreas Wieland of Hamilton Medical in Switzerland, one of the largest makers of ventilators in the world said, "The reality is there is absolutely not enough. Italy wanted to order 4,000 but there's not a chance. We sent them 400."

As per the Times, each ventilator can cost as much as $50,000.

It would not be the first time that Musk has put Tesla's resources toward solving a high-profile international problem.

In 2018, engineers from SpaceX and Tesla built a miniature submarine to help rescue a group of boys trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand.

However, in the past, Elon Musk has a fondness for bragging on Twitter and there were some bold claims that did not translate into reality.

As Tesla rushed to deliver its latest Model Y SUV on time, the CEO refused to put some factories on lockdown despite shelter-in-place orders.

While Tesla had to trim down its operations in China, its factory in California is reportedly business-as-usual.

Aside from that, his tweets and emails to Tesla employees regarding coronavirus have been met with disapproval from some within the healthcare, media and business community who argue that his approach to downplay the disease will cause them more damage.

On Wednesday, the car factory in California would be open for production because of the conflicting guidance from different levels of government whether they could operate or not.

However, Elon changed his tone on Thursday and announced that their California site would suspend operations temporarily.

As of Wednesday evening, the U.S. has reported that there is already more than 9,400 coronavirus cases and more than 150 deaths.

READ MORE: Kylie Jenner Can Help The World Fight Coronavirus, Expert Claims