Elon Musk, entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been praised for delivering over 1,000 ventilators to a California hospital to help with the treatment of patients with COVID-19.  

The billionaire also delivered 50,000 face masks to the Seattle home of a University of Washington physician Sunday as healthcare workers continue to grapple with the extreme lack of personal protective equipment.   

Despite repeatedly downplaying the severity of the coronavirus, Musk promised last week that he would procure ventilators to help with the shortage that is predicted across the United States. 

He has also said on Twitter that he could use the Tesla factory to produce more ventilators to help meet growing demand in US hospitals. 

Musk's gesture came as automaker giant Ford revealed Tuesday that it expects to be able to send new ventilators to hospitals by early June. The motor company is working with GE Healthcare as it steps up to provide the vital pieces of equipment.