The current coronavirus crisis that places so many patients on ventilators is also having its effect on hospitals’ opioid shortage. Opioids help keep patients in severe distress from reflexively ripping out the tubing that forces oxygen in their lungs. Deficiencies in the supply of injectable opioids had long been recognized and then the pandemic suddenly escalated demand. Orders for the commonly used injectable opioid fentanyl roughly tripled, but suppliers were only able to ship half of what hospitals asked for. Ventilator use has fallen from the peak in April, but more than 7,000 COVID-19 patients are estimated to be relying on them each day. Read more.