Arriving in New York on March 30, while the coronavirus pandemic was in full explosion, the American military hospital ship USNS Comfort left on Thursday, without having ever operated at full speed.
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This 270 meter long white boat, marked with red crosses and with a capacity of 1,000 beds, had entered New York harbor with great fanfare, sent by President Donald Trump and hailed as "a symbol of hope" by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. A crowd then gathered to applaud his arrival, but this Thursday there were only a few New Yorkers watching him leave for his home port of Norfolk, Virginia, AFP noted. An elderly gentleman applauded in silence when he saw him gently leave New York harbor, between two showers.
From the anchorage point in the west of Manhattan, the boat and its crew of some 1,200 sailors have finally treated few patients: 182 in total, of which 70% were infected with coronavirus, indicated on Thursday captain Patrick Amersbach, commanding officer for the medical part, cited in a press release. "Many of these patients suffered from rapid and multiple organ failures, requiring artificial respirators," said the release from the United States Navy.
The capacities available in hospitals have never been fully used
Based on models of the spread of the disease, the American economic capital was preparing to see its hospitals overwhelmed with patients. The state governor had ordered hospitals to increase their capacity by at least 50%, or even double it if possible. Finally, the worst-case scenario did not materialize. If New York remains the city in the world most affected by the epidemic, with nearly 160,000 cases recorded and more than 17,000 confirmed or probable deaths from the disease, the available capacities have never been fully used.
The number of people hospitalized in New York, including patients other than the virus, has dropped from a peak of around 20,000 in mid-April to around 7,200 today, according to figures from the Covid Data Project. In this context, the large Javits Center conference center in Manhattan, which had been transformed into a field hospital with some 2,500 beds, should also close next week.