coronavirus new york city

Coronavirus News: Hundreds of doctors, nurses transfer from Javits Center to NYC hospitals

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Doctors, nurses move from Javits to NYC hospitals

Candance McCowan reports they will ease the demand for help at hospitals

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Due to a lack of demand at the temporary hospital set up at the Javits Center, hundreds of doctors and nurses will transfer to hospitals in the city to help instead.

Health care workers at the convention center in Manhattan have been ready to treat a flood of COVID-19 patients, but there has only been a trickle.

Even though city ICUs have been drowning in COVID-19 victims, they can't transfer -- thanks to what hospital administrators say are strict criteria set in place by the Defense Department.

So on Wednesday, instead of transferring patients there, the military is sending doctors and nurses to city hospitals to help.

"258 medical personnel just yesterday were deployed off the ship and out of the Javits Center, into New York," Vice President Mike Pence announced during a White House press briefing.

It comes at a time of great hope in the coronavirus pandemic. For the first time, there is a drop in hospital admissions across New York state.

And the highest levels of American government are desperate to turn the page.

On Thursday, President Trump says he will lay out his plan to jumpstart business in all 50 states.

However, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says not so fast.

On Wednesday, he ordered all New Yorkers to wear face coverings whenever they get within six feet of anyone else -- an indicator that it could be a while before all of this is over.

"It's over when people know I'm 100% safe and I don't have to worry about this," he said. "When does that happen? When we have a vaccine. 12 to 18 months."