New York’s Javits Center Has 44 Virus Cases With Room for 1,700

(Bloomberg) -- New York’s Javits Convention Center has only 44 coronavirus patients in treatment so far, and will have a 1,700-bed capacity by Friday, the Pentagon said, in a sign the emergency facility provided by the military can offer more relief for the city’s overwhelmed hospitals.

The Javits center is being used largely for coronavirus patients while the Defense Department maintains its position that the USNS Comfort, a hospital ship anchored in New York, is better-suited to free up space in hospitals by taking patients not known to have the virus.

“Our current preference, which could change at any time given the circumstances on the ground and the request by the governor, is to see Javits Center beds used by Covid patients before moving them to the Comfort,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters Monday. “We are very attuned to the need of New York City and New York state.”

So far, the Comfort has treated 41 patients, with 31 still on board and 16 of them in intensive care, Hoffman said.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo -- who said that the state’s hospitals are at a “redline” -- announced on Twitter that following a call with Trump, the president agreed to let the Comfort take on Covid-19 patients. It was originally intended to treat non-coronavirus patients.

Speaking before the governor’s tweet, Brigadier General Paul Friedrichs, the staff surgeon for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Comfort won’t turn away patients that may end up testing positive for the coronavirus and that its staff has the ability to isolate a limited number of people with the virus. But Hoffman and Friedrichs have also pointed out the risks of the virus spreading on board the ship, saying it could force them to evaucate the vessel for a deep cleaning.

The Comfort’s companion ship, the USNS Mercy, is aiding hospitals in Los Angeles.

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