The Javits Convention Center: A New Temporary Hospital in NYC

h. nazan ışık—

31 March 2020—

Yesterday it was an important day for New York City to fight against novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Yesterday, Monday, 30 March, the Javits Center field hospital opened, together with the US Navy hospital ship Comfort that arrived in New York City to relieve the pressure on hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus patients.

After the Comfort docked at Pier 90 Governor Cuomo announced: “the first 1,000-bed temporary hospital at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is open and accepting patients today,” at a press conference he held at the Javits Center. The Javits temporary hospital will have more beds.

Governor Cuomo at Javits Center (h. nazan ışık /NKENdiKEN)

The Governor confirmed that 14,000 people tested yesterday, and 6,984 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 66,497 positive confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 66,497, NYC has total positive confirmed 37, 453 cases, and 3,585 new positive cases.

Governor Cuomo said: “First step was flatten the curve, reduce density, and keep people home. We’ve done everything we can possibly do there.

Second step is, don’t let the hospital system get overwhelmed.”

Javits temporary hospital opened with the initial 1,000 beds. (h. nazan ışık/NKENdiKEN)

“The Javits center has done many magnificent exhibitions and transformations, and they never cease to amaze me. But this is a transformation that I don’t think anyone could ever anticipate. 2,500 beds as an emergency hospital! It is a partnership between state and federal government. The Army Corps of Engineers did a fantastic job moving in here and getting everything set up as quickly as possible. It will become operational today – receiving the first few patients. We will start to run the facility and then we will take it from there,” said the Governor.

The Javits temporary hospital site was constructed in one week.

Both hospitals; The Javits temporary hospital and the US Navy hospital ship Comfort are here in New York City to increase hospital capacity and to relieve the pressure on the city’s overcrowding hospital system, and to receive non-COVID-19 patients.

I think it remains to be seen how Javits field hospital and the Comfort floating hospital will work, how many and which patients will be treated there.