The U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort arrived at coronavirus-stricken New York City this week but so far has just 20 patients onboard.
WABC reported that because of strict regulations and the fact that the ship is not accepting patients infected with the COVID-19 virus, the number of patients currently being treated on the 1,000-bed ship is low. The Comfort docked in New York City on Monday.
Before a patient is transferred to the ship, he or she must first go to a traditional hospital, receive a diagnosis, and test negative for COVID-19, according to WABC. At that point, the Navy requires an application from the hospital before a patient is allowed on the ship.
According to the New York Post, a Navy spokesman said Thursday night that the number of patients on the Comfort had risen from three earlier in the day to 20 by the evening.
The ship's captain Patrick Amersbach said on a media call Thursday that he anticipates taking on more patients.
"The process continues and we are honestly looking forward to seeing a significant increase in patients being transferred to the Comfort," he said, according to the Navy.
The Navy added that the Comfort accepted its first three patients Wednesday night.
The New York Times reported that the Navy has a list of 49 medical conditions that prevent patients from being admitted to the ship.
Michael Dowling, the CEO of the Northwell Health hospital system in New York, told the Times the situation is a "joke."
"If I'm blunt about it, it's a joke," Dowling said. "Everyone can say, 'Thank you for putting up these wonderful places and opening up these cavernous halls.' But we're in a crisis here, we're in a battlefield."
The Trump administration ordered the Comfort to deploy to New York to help overwhelmed hospitals as they deal with COVID-19 patients. The Navy's other hospital ship, the Mercy, is docked in Los Angeles on a similar mission.
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