Coronavirus Update: Navy Hospital Ship ‘Comfort’ Bringing 1,000 Beds To NYC
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The Navy hospital ship “Comfort” will arrive in New York Harbor this morning to help the city’s health care system that’s overwhelmed by the rising number of coronavirus patients.
The USNS Comfort is expected to dock at Pier 90 at 11 a.m. Monday. Its 1,000 beds will be designated for patients with non-coronavirus issues.
Meanwhile, several other emergency field hospitals are popping up across the city.
In Central Park, the Christian organization Samaritan’s Purse built a 68-bed facility near Fifth Avenue and 99th Street.
“A lot of suffering in Queens, especially, in Brooklyn. We’re going to open us just, hopefully, in a day or two and help offload some of that and help take care of some of the sickest patients,” said Elliott Tenpenny, of the organization.
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Sunday night on “60 Minutes,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said he spoke with President Donald Trump three times last week about military reinforcements to help relieve the city’s frontline doctors and nurses.
“They are not going to be able to sustain this pace. We need to bring in a whole new group to substitute for them and give them a break and keep building at our capacity,” the mayor said. “If we don’t get a lot more medical personnel quickly, even if we have the equipment, it won’t be enough.”
This week over at the Jacob Javits Center, hospital beds will also be ready when needed. However, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the space will likely only be used at the outbreak’s apex, which current projections show is approaching at a slower rate than before.
“Now it’s doubling almost every six days. So you have almost a dichotomy. The doubling rate is slowing, and that is good news, but the number of cases are still going up,” said Cuomo.
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To continue slowing the trajectory, the governor announced an extension of the statewide lockdown to April 15, forcing nonessential workers to remain home and banning gatherings.
De Blasio said police will begin fining those who do not practice social distancing between $250 and $500.
“They are going to give people every chance to listen, and if anyone doesn’t listen, then they deserve a find at this point,” he said.
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In some hopeful news, one of the state’s first coronavirus patients – a New Rochelle lawyer – has been released from the hospital. More than 3,500 others have been discharged across the state since the outbreak began.
A new testing site also opens today in the Bronx. It’s located in the parking lot of the Bay Plaza AMC Theater in Baychester.
The drive-thru site will operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week, by appointment only. Priority will be given to people considered to be at high risk.
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March 30, 2020 at 03:20PM
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