By Canadian Press

New York reviewing sites for more hospital beds, Cuomo says

Mar 21, 2020 | 9:58 AM

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York is reviewing places to put new hospital beds in response to the coronavirus outbreak, including New York City’s main convention centre and some state university campuses, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday.

The goal is to get hospital capacity, which now stands at around 50,000, up to 75,000 beds, Cuomo said at a news briefing.

Possible locations for temporary hospitals, which would be operated by the Army Corps of Engineers, include Stony Brook University and SUNY College at Old Westbury on Long Island and the Westchester County Center, in addition to Manhattan’s Javits Center, Cuomo said.

“Everything that can be done is being done,” he said.

Officials have identified 2 million face masks that can be sent to hot spots, Cuomo said, and apparel companies are pivoting to make masks. One million mask are being sent to New York City hospitals Saturday, and 500,000 to Long Island, he said.

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The state is also rounding up ventilators from around the state and purchasing 6,000 to deploy to the most critical areas, Cuomo said.

Officials are requesting four military field hospitals with 250 beds each, Cuomo said.

The state’s COVID-19 caseload is now at 10.400, with about 1,600 people hospitalized.

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The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.

Michael Hill, The Associated Press