Coronavirus live updates: Hospitals add beds in fields, dorms, other news for March 19
A Navy hospital ship is on its way to New York City to help provide beds for patients in the city as more people test positive for COVID-19. In some hard-hit areas around the country health officials are setting up temporary hospitals in soccer fields, fairgrounds and college dorms, according to multiple reports.
More than 230,000 cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 9,300 deaths as of March 19, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 10,000 confirmed cases with at least 154 deaths.
On Thursday, the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Italy hit 3,405, passing the total number of deaths in China, the Associated Press reports. The total number of reported deaths in China is about 3,250, according Johns Hopkins University.
Hospital ships, temporary ERs
Two Navy hospital ships are deploying to help add beds to stressed hospital systems facing the coronavirus pandemic. The USS Comfort is headed to New York City Harbor, and the USS Mercy will be stationed somewhere along the West Coast, the U.S. Naval Institute reports.
“The president, I spoke to this morning, he’s going to be making arrangements to send up this hospital ship, which is called [USNS] Comfort. It has about 1,000 rooms on it, it has operating rooms, and the president is going to dispatch the Comfort to us,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday, USNI reports.
“This will be, it’s an extraordinary step obviously, it’s literally a floating hospital which will add capacity, and the president said he would dispatch that immediately,” Cuomo said.
In King County, Washington, officials are setting up a field hospital on a school soccer field to add beds, the county said. “King County needs to site facilities that will create 3,000 additional medical beds for King County. It is anticipated that the Shoreline Temporary Field Hospital will be able to provide up to 200 beds. The Shoreline site will be able to serve ill individuals from Shoreline and patients from the greater Puget Sound Region,” the county said.
Some colleges and universities, emptied of students sent home during the pandemic, are planning to use dorm rooms to help house patients, the Associated Press reports. Tufts University, which has a major medical center in Boston, said it would open up hundreds of dorm rooms for the pandemic, according to the AP.
“The Massachusetts school’s president called on university leaders across the country to follow suit, saying they have a civic duty to help in times of crisis,” the AP said.
Younger people still at risk
Young adults can have serious symptoms from coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and up to 20% of those infected could need to be hospitalized.
“The CDC looked at more than 2,400 cases of COVID-19 in the United States over the past month,” McClatchy News reports Wednesday. “It found that coronavirus patients over 85 had the highest death rate with 10% to 27% dying from the disease.”
“For younger people, the CDC found between 14% and 20% of adults between the ages of 20 and 44 were hospitalized for coronavirus. About 0.1 to 0.2% died from the virus.”
Members of Congress test positive
Two members of the U.S. House of Representatives have tested positive for coronavirus. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Ben McAdams (D-Utah) both started feeling symptoms Saturday, Politico reports.
“I want everyone to know that I am feeling much better. However, it is important that everyone take this extremely seriously and follow CDC guidelines in order to avoid getting sick and mitigate the spread of this virus. We must continue to work together to emerge stronger as a country during these trying times,” Diaz-Balart said in a statement Wednesday.
McAdams also released a statement Wednesday, “On Saturday evening, after returning from Washington, D.C., I developed mild cold-like symptoms. In consultation with my doctor on Sunday, I immediately isolated myself in my home. I have been conducting all meetings by telephone. My symptoms got worse and I developed a fever, a dry cough and labored breathing and I remained self-quarantined.”
China reports a day with no new cases
Mainland China reported its first day with no new local cases, according to the South China Morning Post.
“China’s recent efforts to fight the epidemic have increasingly focused on inbound travelers, amid concern about a second wave of infections from overseas,” Reuters reports.
Tips to help protect yourself from coronavirus
There’s no vaccine for the COVID-19 virus, and experts say one may be months away from mass production.
The U.S. CDC suggests avoiding close contact with people who are sick, avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, staying home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
The agency also advises washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
The CDC does not advise that healthy people wear face masks, but says they should be worn by coronavirus patients to help avoid spreading the illness.
This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 9:44 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Hospitals add beds in fields, dorms, other news for March 19."
