New York Request for COVID-19 Patients to be Treated On Navy Ship Approved

By David Oh, Staff Reporter

Courtesy of THE U.S. NAVY

On Monday, April 6, President Donald Trump approved New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s request to have the United States Naval Ship (USNS) Comfort start treating patients with coronavirus (COVID-19).

Prior to Trump’s decision, the ship was sent to New York to treat patients with non-COVID-19 medical needs to ease pressure on hospitals. Since ships are prone to infectious diseases spreading in their tight confines, it was originally decided that the ship would not treat any patients that had contracted the novel coronavirus.

However, the decision was made as New York’s hospitals have been struggling to keep up with the staggering amount of coronavirus cases. A lack of medical supplies and basic necessities such as masks has caused many hospitals to struggle to meet demands.

Along with the USNS Comfort easing stress on hospitals, a convention center in Manhattan has also switched gears from treating non-COVID-19 patients to those with the novel coronavirus. Like the Comfort, the original plan was to have it treat those without the virus. Now it will be taking care of those with the virus before the Comfort fills up. While both medical facilities are now gearing towards treating coronavirus patients, New York’s government officials are hoping that the facilities will help reduce the stress on hospitals.

“Having the Comfort here is a very, very important thing for New York City in terms of the number of patients served, but also an extraordinary morale boost when we needed it,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in an interview with CNN Friday. “I don’t have a doubt in my mind, the Comfort will be filled up soon.”