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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the USNS Comfort docked in New York City will now treat patients with coronavirus.

The ship was originally planned to treat non-coronavirus patients, to open up capacity at the city's on-shore hospitals.

He said President Trump “moved expeditiously” with the Department of Defense to make the switch.

“I want to thank the President for moving as quickly as he did,” Cuomo said.

The ship, which is typically a 1,000-bed hospital, will now have 500 beds, since Covid-19 patients require more space for treatment and equipment, the governor explained. The Comfort, as well as the hospital set up at the Javits Center, are “a welcome overload relief to the hospital system, which is already extraordinarily stressed,” he said.

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