Due to the high spread of the virus, COVID-19, hospitals all over the country have been overflowing with patients. Some patients are not being treated because of the overwhelming number of people infected. In order to help alleviate this problem, many states are opening temporary hospitals.
An example of the United State’s reaction to this movement is in New York City. Last month the Army helped turn NYC’s Javits Center into a hospital for overflowing patients. They use that hospital for non-infected patients, to make it easier for medical facilities to focus on treating infected patients.
Another example is in New Orleans. In March, a New Orleans Convention Center was turned into a recovery hospital in response to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in Louisiana. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced that there would be more beds added after doing a walkthrough of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Based on what Rebecca Klar, a reporter for The Hill, has written, they can say that the beds inside the convention center are going to be used for patients who are transferred from hospitals and do not require a ventilator or ICU bed. This is an effort to relieve pressure on hospitals and allow them to help patients who are infected. However, this is not just happening in New York City or New Orleans, it is also happening in California.
California has many counties setting up temporary hospitals for the expected surges of infected patients. An example would be in Santa Clara. In late March, California Air National Guard members helped transform the Santa Clara Convention Center into a temporary medical facility.
Last month, they accepted their very first patients. Evan Webeck, a reporter for Mercury News, reports that hospitals still have space but they are taking “proactive steps to fight the virus.”
Recently, the San Mateo County Event Center has also been turned into a temporary hospital. The National Guard has played a very important job in helping set up temporary hospitals to help alleviate hospitals with an overflowing amount of patients. The Guard has set up equipment and delivered supplies. However, they will not be housing patients immediately but the space will be readily available if and when the medical treatment is required.
Another major event is that the arena that formerly housed the Sacramento Kings is being turned into a temporary hospital that can treat around 400 COVID-19 patients with mild or moderate symptoms as soon as April 20.
Due to temporary hospitals and medical facilities, patients have the ability to recuperate in a safe setting while still being quarantined.