Coronavirus Hospital Ship Arrives In New York: 5 Facts You Need To Know

Hospital Ship called USNS Comfort arrived in New York not long ago. Navy hospital ships are often called to deliver humanitarian aid and this case, one was sent to the Big Apple to ease the pressure there as doctors and other medical health workers continue to battle the coronavirus pandemic. Most of the medical facilities are already full and can no longer handle additional patients so the USNS Comfort was brought in.

It was reported the hospital ship arrived in New York City on Monday morning and docked at Pier 88 in Manhattan. Similarly, the other ship USNS Mercy was deployed to Los Angeles and it already accepted its first batch of patients on Sunday, March 29 since it arrived on Friday. The patients were referred to by local hospitals. In any case, here are five facts to know about the coronavirus hospital ship USNS Comfort.

1. This ship already docked in New York 19 years ago and it was the first time. It was sent due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

2. The mission of USNS Comfort is to provide support to a range of operations from military to humanitarian services. It provides help to the Americans in the events of national emergencies such as the COVID-19 crisis that is currently gripping the country.

3. The hospital ship is fully equipped with 12 operating rooms, 1,000 hospital beds, medical laboratory, Pharmacy, radiology room, CAT-scanning room, optometry lab and two oxygen-producing plants according to the US Navy fact file.

4. When in full operation mode, this ship employs around 71 crew members and up to 1,200 Navy medical personnel. Often, the crew includes foreign militaries, NGOs, and representatives from some U.S. services depending on why the ship was deployed and its main mission.

5. It should be noted that this hospital ship was not sent to treat and care for COVID-19 patients but it is for those who are undergoing treatments that are not related to the infection. AFP reported USNS Comfort will mainly care for patients in New York who need intensive care but do not have the disease.

The hospital ship is there to help decongest hospitals and prevent the spread of coronavirus by separating patients with other ailments. People will also get the need that health care that they need without delay since doctors are busy in hospitals as people flocked in large numbers to be tested or get treatment for the infection that already killed 3,003 and infected around 160,698 citizens.