New York reports additional 1,000 COVID-19 cases, USNS Comfort will be deployed to New York harbor

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced yesterday the USNS Comfort will be deployed to New York harbor and is expected to arrive in April. The 1,000-bed hospital ship has 12 fully-equipped operating rooms and will significantly increase New York’s hospital surge capacity. The Governor is also meeting with leadership of the Army Corp of Engineers to discuss ways to increase hospital capacity in New York.

The Governor also announced he will issue an executive order directing non-essential businesses to implement work-from-home policies effective Friday, March 20. Businesses that rely on in-office personnel must decrease their in-office workforce by 50 percent.

“We are fighting a war against this pandemic and we know that two of the most effective ways to stop it is by reducing density and increasing our hospital capacity so our healthcare system is not overwhelmed,” Governor Cuomo said. “The deployment of the USNS Comfort to New York is an extraordinary but necessary step to help ensure our state has the capacity to handle an influx of patients with COVID-19 and continue our efforts to contain the virus. Partnering with the private sector to require nonessential employees to work from home will also go a long way toward bending the curve. My number one priority is protecting the public health so that a wave of new cases doesn’t crash our hospital system, and we will continue taking any action necessary to achieve that goal.”

Giardia in Black and White

Officials confirmed 1,008 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 2,382 confirmed cases in New York State, as of Wednesday. New York City has reported 1,339 of the total.

20 deaths are reported in the state.