San Francisco, March 26: Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the company's Gigafactory facility in New York will soon reopen to begin producing ventilators that are in short supply due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tesla CEO Elon Musk Donates 50K N95 Surgical Masks & Other Protective Items To A Hospital in The U.S.

"Giga New York will reopen for ventilator production as soon as humanly possible. We will do anything in our power to help the citizens of New York," Musk tweeted on Wednesday.

The tweet comes after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asked for Musk's help sourcing ventilators last week. The need for additional ventilators has taken center stage in the ongoing fight against the spread of coronavirus and the ventilator has become a critical first line of defense for patients infected by the virus. Tesla shut down its Gigafactory New York in Buffalo earlier this week after lockdown orders have been implemented in various parts of the US.

At Gigafactory New York, Tesla produces its solar roof tiles as well as other products and accessories, like components for its Supercharger V3. Earlier, Musk offered 1,255 ventilators for free to help fight COVID-19 pandemic. Musk has also donated 50,000 N95 surgical masks and various protective items to a hospital in the US.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 26, 2020 04:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).