Navy Hospital Ship USNS Comfort travels up the Hudson River as it heads to Pier 90 as the coronavirus pandemic continues to overwhelm medical infrastructure Monday. Docked on the West Side of Manhattan, the hospital ship will provide another thousand beds for non-COVID-19 patients.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
“In this battle, the troops are our healthcare professionals,” Cuomo said. “We need relief. We need relief for nurses working 12-hour shifts. We need relief for doctors. Help us now and we will return the favor.”
New York has more confirmed cases than any other state, with more than 67,000 cases; 1,342 have died, accounting for nearly one-third of all U.S. deaths. On Monday, the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship featuring 1,000 beds and 12 operating rooms, arrived in New York harbor. It could be ready to take in patients as soon as Tuesday.
“The number of beds we had in the beginning of March has to triple by May,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday. “It’s a daunting task, but we got a big, big boost.”
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has previously said the state will need an additional 50,000 hospital beds for the outbreak, the peak of which is expected in a few weeks on the West Coast.
Across the country, local leaders have issued or extended stay home, stay healthy orders as the virus’s numbers have increased: On Monday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a stay at home order, effectively immediately and in place until June 10.
Globally, there are more than 784,000 cases, and nearly 38,000 deaths.
