Multiple coronavirus patients are accidentally transferred to 1,000-bed Navy hospital ship docked in NYC which is currently caring for just 21 patients and meant to be COVID-19-free
Multiple coronavirus patients have been accidentally transferred to a military hospital ship docked in New York City that was meant to be virus-free and only used for trauma patients, according to a new report.
Less than five patients with the virus were transferred from the city's Javits Center to USNS Comfort on Friday, reported Fox News.
At the time of their arrival, initial screenings did not indicate they were positive for the deadly virus, three US officials told the outlet.
The 1,000-bed USNS Comfort, which arrived in New York City on Monday, had been fighting to stay in a coronavirus-free 'bubble' so as not to risk bringing the disease on board, its medical officer said.
Less than five patients were transferred from the city's Javits Center to hospital ship Comfort on Friday, and at the time, screenings did not indicate they were positive for the deadly virus, according to Fox News
The patients were part of a dozen people tested for Covid-19 when they came onboard Comfort from the Javits Center, as part of the ship's protocol.
They were all isolated upon arrival and spent the night on the ship.
The swab test results came back a few hours later and by Saturday morning, all the coronavirus patients were taken back to the Javits Center.
New York state currently has the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths, currently at 113,704 cases and 3,565 deaths.
New York City has 60,000 people testing positive and 1,867 dead.
USNS Comfort, previously deployed to conflict and natural disaster zones, was sent to Manhattan to ease the strain on health centers in the city at the epicenter of America's outbreak by caring for patients other than those diagnosed with the virus.
By Friday it had received 21 patients, according to the ship's press officer Lieutenant Commander Amelia Umayam.
An official told Fox News the virus-stricken patients' risk to the ship's crew was 'low', explaining: 'We were prepared with a contingency plan in case we received patients that later tested positive. Immediately upon arrival the patients were isolated while awaiting the test results.'
'We consider the USNS Comfort to be in a bubble,' said medical officer Captain Patrick Amersbach as he explained the procedures followed by the ship's crew to shield it from the virus, including not disembarking for as long as it is docked.
Michael Dowling, the CEO of Northwell Health - NY's largest hospital system - said it was a 'joke' that the ship wasn't accepting coronavirus patients, saying: 'If I'm blunt about it, it's a joke.
'Everyone can say, "Thank you for putting up these wonderful places and opening up these cavernous halls".
'But we're in a crisis here, we're in a battlefield,' he told The New York Times.
A member of the U.S. Army walks among cubicles being prepared in phase 2 of the Javits New York Medical Station at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center during the coronavirus disease outbreak in Manhattan
The need for medical personnel in New York City is so severe that Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday pushed President Trump to begin a national enlistment that would send people with medical training from other states to the front line of the epicenter.
Despite the drastic need, there are currently some 1,200 crew aboard the USNS Comfort who are idle, with a lack of patients due to the strict protocols in place that has seen them refusing to take certain medical conditions.
In Los Angeles, the USNS Mercy has also only accepted 15 patients.
New Yorkers came out in their droves on Monday as the gigantic white vessel pulled in to dock in Manhattan, ignoring social distancing guidelines as they gathered to see in the hospital ship that was supposed to lessen to crippling burden on the city's hospital system.
Scores of New Yorkers flocked to the streets to welcome the Comfort on Monday. NY Gov Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio said it not only brought needed supplies but was a much needed morale booster for the city
The hospital ship has done little to ease the stress, with delays and time-wasting protocols frustrating hospital chiefs.
As well as refusing to accept coronavirus patients, the Navy has sent hospitals a list of 49 other medical conditions that they will not treat on board leaving few remaining patients available to transfer from over-stretched hospitals to the ship.
Even protocol around the transfer of patients who are suitable has caused further delays as none can be brought directly to the Comfort without a visit to a hospital first.
Multiple coronavirus patients are accidentally transferred to 1,000-bed Navy hospital ship docked in NYC which is currently caring for just 21 patients and meant to be COVID-19-free
![Multiple coronavirus patients are accidentally transferred to 1,000-bed Navy hospital ship docked in NYC which is currently caring for just 21 patients and meant to be COVID-19-free]()
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April 05, 2020
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