Comfort set for 500 COVID patients

Less than a week after taking on its first patient, the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort is prepared to treat up to 500 patients infected with the COVID-19 virus, Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis said at a Pentagon briefing April 7. Comfort is berthed at Pier 90 along NYC’s Hudson River and “has 500 beds that are fully staffed and fully equipped now,” Vice Adm. Lewis said. “We also have 100 (ICU unit) beds with the same number of ventilators and we are looking to provide more, although we can’t convert anymore to ICU beds. But we are still looking to push ventilators as required if required.” Higher-acuity patients – trauma patients, emergency and urgent-care patients – regardless of COVID status can be treated aboard Comfort, the admiral said. As of midday Tuesday, Comfort had five patients aboard that have tested positive for the virus. “They came onboard – in all cases – COVID negative. They were hospitalized for something different … but they were retested because they had some other condition that was causing a clinical evaluation of COVID,” he said. “They are remaining aboard because they can be treated properly and isolated currently, isolated within one of the wards.” (Source: USNI News 04/07/29) https://news.usni.org/2020/04/07/usns-comfort-prepared-for-500-covid-19-patients-crewmember-diagnosed-with-virus