NEW YORK • People cheered the US Navy hospital ship Comfort as it sailed into New York this week, a beacon of the national effort to stanch the coronavirus outbreak at its US epicentre as the number of cases soared.
Painted a gleaming white and adorned with giant red crosses, the 1,000-bed converted oil tanker sailed past the Statue of Liberty, accompanied by a flotilla of support ships and helicopters, before docking at a Midtown Manhattan pier on Monday. People gathered on both the New York and New Jersey sides of the Hudson River to cheer the ship's arrival.
Some bystanders chanted, "Trump, Trump, Trump", as the huge vessel neared the pier where it docked.
The Comfort will treat non-coronavirus patients, including those who require surgery and critical care, the Navy said.
"It's a wartime atmosphere and we all have to pull together," said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was among the dignitaries to greet the ship's arrival.
He said preparations for the ship, including dredging, took eight days, much less than the two weeks initially expected.
Hospitals in the city have been overrun with patients suffering from Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus.
New York state accounts for about half the country's more than 164,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 40 per cent of its more than 3,100 deaths. The United States has the most cases in the world.
To ease the pressure, construction of a 68-bed field hospital began on Sunday in Central Park, and the white tents being set up evoked a wartime feel in an island of green typically used by New Yorkers to exercise, picnic and enjoy the first signs of spring.
The makeshift facility, provided by Mount Sinai Health System and non-profit organisation Samaritan's Purse, was expected to be ready to accept patients yesterday, but will not take walk-ins.
Admissions and transfers will be managed by Mount Sinai, Mr de Blasio said.
Mr Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York State and one of the most prominent public figures of the crisis in the US, said at a news conference later that the state might have to step in to close playgrounds in the country's most populous city.
He added that official efforts to reduce the numbers of people in those public spaces had not been successful.
Mr Cuomo and Mr de Blasio are among a growing chorus of officials who have voiced frustration over President Donald Trump's handling of the crisis and the shortage of ventilators and personal protective equipment needed to fight the virus in hospitals.
Mr de Blasio said the death toll in his city would rise if Washington did not provide more assistance soon.
REUTERS
