h. nazan ışık—
21 May 2020—
As the coronavirus continues to spread in New York City hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. And New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo appealed for federal, local help.
On 19 March Mayor de Blasio requested: “I ask everyone who has health care training and who can help us please step forward now and anyone who’s willing to volunteer, please go to nyc.gov/helpnownyc, nyc.gov/helpnownyc, H-E-L-P-N-O-W-NYC.”
On 17 March Governor Cuomo said: “We have 53,000 hospital beds in the State of New York. We have 3,000 ICU beds. The expected peak is around 45 days. That can be plus or minus depending on what we do. They (experts) are expecting as many as 55,000 to 110,000 hospital beds will be needed at that point. You take the 55,000 to 110,000 hospital beds and compare it to a capacity of 53,000 beds and you understand the challenge.” He continued: “I’m working with governments and organizations all across the state right now. How do we set up temporary hospital facilities, even if they’re not intensive care units? We’re also working with FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Guard and the building trades unions to help us on this issue. “
And, New York started getting Federal help from Navy, Army, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and also from Samaritan’s Purse.
Javits Center temporary hospital opened…
On 30 March Javits Center temporary hospital opened to treat only Non-COVID-19 patients. It started with the initial 1,000 beds, later had total 2,500 beds.
Javits Center temporary hospital opened as a medical facility at the Jacob Javits Center to expand the number of available hospital beds and relieve the pressure on hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. (Photo: h. nazan ışık/NKENdiKEN)
Javits Center temporary hospital to accept COVID-19 patients
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday, 2 April: “As we all know the growing coronavirus cases are threatening the capacity of our hospital system. The original plan for Javits was that it be used to take non-COVID patients from hospitals to open up hospital beds. However, the number of COVID positive patients has increased so dramatically that it would be beneficial to the state if Javits could accept COVID positive patients.”
The Governor confirmed, for that day, 8,669 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 92,381 confirmed cases in New York State. In New York City total confirmed cases were 51,809 and additional cases 4,370.
And, Javits temporary hospital did start to accept COVID positive patients.
And also on 30 April, The US Navy hospital ship Comfort arrived in New York City to relieve the pressure on hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus patients.
The USNS Comfort docked at Pier 90 on West Side Manhattan, with red crosses on its white hull. (Photo: h. nazan ışık/NKENdiKEN)
The ship was not here to treat COVID-19 patients. She was here, with 1200 medical staff and sailors and 1000 beds, to relieve the pressure on the city’s overcrowding hospital system.
After the Comfort docked at Pier 90, Mayor de Blasio said: “This ship (the USNS Comfort) arriving is not just an example of help arriving in a physical form. … It’s also about hope; it’s also about boosting the morale of New Yorkers who are going through so much,” at a press conference he held at Pier 90.
Refrigerated trucks as temporary morgues
And at the same press conference one journalist ask the Regional Administrator for FEMA, Tom Von Essen: “What’s the current city capacity to hold the deceased? And is there any consideration of turning places like MSG, Madison Square Garden into a mortuary facility?
Regional Administrator Thomas Von Essen, FEMA answered: “No. Fortunately, we are not thinking of anything like that. But we are sending refrigeration trucks to New York to help with some of the problems on a temporary basis.”
And FEMA sent refrigerated trucks as temporary morgues
Refrigerated trucks as temporary morgues (Photo: h. nazan ışık/NKENdiKEN)
Comfort to take COVID-19 patients
On 6 April, Gov. Cuomo announced during an interview with MSNBC’s Katy Tur: ” I spoke with the President this morning and asked if the USNS Comfort, the United States Navy Ship the Comfort which is an additional 1,000 beds, could also take COVID patients. The original plan was they would do non-COVID patients from the hospital system. As it turns out, we don’t have many non-COVID symptoms because when you close everything down, the silver lining was traffic accidents, crime went down. So, we really need help with the COVID patients. The President spoke to the Department of Defense and granted that request to use the Navy Ship Comfort for COVID patients. So, that’s an additional 1,000 beds with federal personnel managing that ship. So, that’s a welcome relief and the President granted the request.”
He continued: “… Between the 2,500 at the Javits Center and the 1,000 beds of the Comfort, that should be a major, major relief system for already overtaxed hospital system.”
And on 6 April USNS Comfort started taking COVID-19 patients.
Central Park field hospital opened
On 31 March, New York City had another temporary hospital. With 14 tents, 68 beds Central Park field hospital it was, to treat only COVID-19 patients .
Central Park field hospital (Photo: h. nazan ışık /NKENdiKEN)
The Central Park field hospital was not a Navy, not an Army hospital. It was a partnership between New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital (Mount Sinai Health System) and North Carolina–based Christian organization Samaritan’s Purse.
The Governor announced: “We don’t really need the Comfort anymore.”
On 21 April Governor Cuomo said on MSNBC following his meeting at the White House:” The President sent up a navy ship, the Comfort, a hospital ship which was very good to have in case we had overflow but I said we don’t really need the Comfort anymore. It did give us comfort but we don’t need it anymore so if they need to deploy it somewhere else they should take it. “
Temporary fields hospitals to close
And on 30 April after, according to USNI News, treating only 182 patients USNS Comfort left NYC.
On 1 May, Javits Center temporary hospital closed. FEMA equipment and supplies remained in case there is second wave of coronavirus.
And on 4 May, the Central Park field hospital closed to take new patients.
New issue, the new Risk: Children!
On 7 May, a 5-Year-Old Boy Passed Away in NYC from COVID-Related Complications.
“There’s still so much we don’t know about COVID-19, and in the beginning we were led to believe that the good news about this virus was it didn’t affect children,” Governor Cuomo said. “Now we have a new issue that we’re looking at where some children affected with the COVID-19 virus are becoming ill with symptoms similar to the Kawasaki disease or toxic shock-like syndrome.”
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on 8 May announced there have been 73 reported cases in New York where children are experiencing symptoms, and the State Department of Health is investigating several cases of severe illness in children and child deaths that may be related to COVID-19.
On 8 May, Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference : Sometimes I have talked about this virus like it has human characteristics… and even though we’re fighting every day, it’s important to never underestimate your enemy. So, if this virus had human characteristics, it would be a pretty clever virus. Clearly more than once has thrown the medical community a curve ball, and a lot to deal with all the time, especially because of what we don’t yet know.”
The number of cases continues to grow
On 17 May Mayor de Blasio said: we are really concerned about this (disease affects children) pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome. PMIS. The number of cases continues to grow, 137 confirmed now, 66 of those cases, there’s a positive test for COVID-19 or antibodies detected. And as I’ve said for days, we lost a child to this syndrome and we never want to lose another child to it” he added “if you see those symptoms of fever, rash, vomiting, if you see any of them particularly in combination, please immediately call your doctor or your health care provider. If you don’t have one, call 3-1-1 and you’ll get connected to a Health + Hospitals clinician. Early detection saves lives of children.”
And latest news; on Thursday, 21 May, Governor Cuomo announced at his daily briefing: State is Investigating 157 reported cases & 3 deaths related to COVID illness in children with symptoms similar to an atypical Kawasaki Disease and Toxic Shock-Like Syndrome.
Governor Cuomo’s words echo in my mind: “There’s still so much we don’t know about COVID-19.”
What is next?
Photos: © h. nazan ışık /NKENdiKEN
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