(30 Mar 2020) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus133272
Volunteer physicians and other professionals have set-up an emergency field hospital in New York City's Central Park to help with the influx of patients diagnosed with the new coronavirus.
The tent hospital has a 68-bed capacity and will help Mount Sinai Hospital by taking in some of their COVID-19 patients, says team leader Dr. Elliott Tenpenny of the nonprofit group Samaritan's Purse.
The project is a partnership between the organization and several entities, which include the city of New York and FEMA.
A team of at least 60 volunteers is not only building the hospital, but will keep it running smoothly, Tenpenny told the Associated Press on Monday.
Volunteer nurse practitioner Shelly Kelly is part of the team that will be handling patients.
She said one of the main challenges of the park is making sure the virus doesn't spread to anyone outside the hospital site. The team has built ICU tents and has ventilators on-hand ready to be used, Kelly said.
The field hospital will start taking patients Tuesday.
The U.S. reported over 140,000 infections and more than 2,500 deaths, with New York City the nation's worst hot spot.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
