New York’s Javits Center Will Now Be Used for Coronavirus Patients

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office announced that New York City’s Javits Center—originally outfitted to treat overflow patients while hospitals deal with coronavirus patients—will also be treating those infected with COVID-19. “The state-owned Javits Center has been turned into a 2,500-bed emergency medical facility being run by the U.S. Army. The original plan for Javits was that it be used to take non-COVID from hospitals to open up hospital beds,” a statement from Cuomo read. “However, the number of COVID positive patients has increased so dramatically that it would be beneficial to the state if Javits could accept COVID patents.” The governor said he asked President Trump to make the shift, and the president accepted the change earlier Thursday. According to Johns Hopkins University, over 1,300 of the U.S.’ 5,758 coronavirus deaths are in New York City alone. The city also has over 48,000 confirmed cases.