The US is planning to come up with hundreds of temporary hospitals across the country to cope with thousands of coronavirus cases being reported every day, said officials on Tuesday. There are already temporary hospitals being built in New York and Illinois but more contracts are likely to be signed throughout Tuesday, as the country continues to struggle to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
The US is becoming the new epicenter for coronavirus with the country now having reported more 174,750 cases. The country endured its deadliest day on Monday with 575 deaths. So far the US has reported 3,402 deaths owing to coronavirus, with health authorities and the government struggling to get a grip over the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
US Army Corps of Engineers to build more temporary hospitals
The US Army Corps of Engineers is searching for hotels, dormitories, conversion centers and large open spaces to set up hundreds of temporary hospitals, to make up for the shortage of beds, which is looming large on the country to accommodate thousands of new coronavirus patients coming in every day. The initial aim is to build as many as 341 temporary hospitals.
The US Army Corps of Engineers recently converted a New York convention center into a 1,000-bed hospital. The construction work was completed within a week. However, the search for more such spaces is on and the authorities are likely to identify and sign more contracts throughout the day. Lt. General Todd Semonite, appeared on Good Morning America, said that the army is ready to take up the challenge to identify more such places and build temporary wards and hospitals to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
US Army already on the job
Among the new facilities identified in New York, which has been suffering the most due to the coronavirus outbreak, is the Javits Center and Central Park in Manhattan. The engineering team of the US Army has collaborated with the New York state officials and has converted the facility to treat non-coronavirus patients. The idea is to ease the pressure of hospitals and doctors who are treating coronavirus patients.
Construction is also underway in three sites in Illinois; McOrmick Place, an exposition center in Chicago, and two disused hospitals - Metro South Medical on Blue Island and Sherman Hospital in England, Illinois. Earlier on Monday, it was announced that Queen's Stadium, the host of the US Open every year, was being transformed into a hospital and commissary where meals would be prepared for health workers treating the coronavirus patients.
Also construction work of a 68-bed hospital in Manhattan began on Sunday. The temporary hospital is likely to start accepting and admitting patients from Tuesday. The newly converted convention centre lies just blocks away from the Hudson River, where U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort docked since Monday.
