BATON ROUGE - President Trump announced Monday that the federal government will send 150 ventilators to Louisiana to help the state care for its coronavirus patients.

Governor Edwards said during his daily news conference Monday afternoon that the New Orleans area is on pace to run out of ventilator capacity by April 5, though he said that could change if the state received more equipment. 

“This morning, President Trump committed to me that he would make sure that Louisiana received ventilators. He has just announced that we will get 150 ventilators, which will be the first we have received from the federal government’s Strategic National Stockpile, though I surely hope they will not be the last," Edwards said in a statement Monday evening.

The governor said he's not sure of the specifications of the ventilators or when they will arrive, but he appreciates the federal support. According to the governor's office, Louisiana has ordered 14,000 ventilators, including 5,000 from the federal government’s strategic national stockpile.

"While this does not meet our overall need, each ventilator we get in Louisiana helps us extend the timeframe that we can provide care to Louisianans who are ill, which is critical as we deal with the growing threat of COVID-19 in our state," Edwards said.