When particularly interesting ships arrive in New York harbor, I like to go down the waterfront, as time permits, to see them in. This morning was chilly and overcast and in the spirit of social distancing, I watched the arrival of the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort by webcam.

Comfort is now docked at the cruise terminal at Pier 90 on the Hudson River.  The ship will provide an additional 1,000 beds to support the New York hospital system during the peak of coronavirus pandemic.

One thousand beds is a good-sized hospital but is still a small fraction of the additional capacity which may be needed.  Before the pandemic, New York State had 53,000 hospital beds.  If current projections come to pass, the state may need as many as 140,000 at the outbreak’s peak, expected two to three weeks from now.

On its way up the river, the Comfort passed the Javits Convention Center. The river-front convention center with 840,000 square feet of total exhibit space, is being converted by the Army Corps of Engineers into the largest hospital facility in New York City. When completed in the next few days, the facility, made up of three modular hospital units, will have a 2,900-bed capacity. 

Both the USNS Comfort and the new facilities at the Javits Center will treat non-Covid-19 patients, to take the pressure off hospitals treating patients with the coronavirus.

The 182,000-square-foot Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is also being considered as another 1,000-bed temporary hospital.  Other sites under consideration include the New York Expo Center in the Bronx, the Queens Aqueduct and the College of Staten Island.