NEW YORK — Critical relief arrived to New York on Monday in the form of the U.S. Naval Ship Comfort.
The ship is expected to help doctors and nurses on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.
There have been more than 66,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York State. Only Seneca County has no reported cases.
“Anyone who says this situation is a New York City-only situation is in a state of denial,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “You see this virus move across the state. You see it move across this nation.”
The Governor had a statewide healthcare establishment meeting to work together and foster more coordination.
“We have hospitals in Upstate New York that are experiencing none of this — where they have staff capacity; they have bed capacity,” he said. “We need you now, here, in this fight and engaged.”
As the virus spreads, Cuomo said the state “desperately” needs supplies. He said states, private hospitals and the federal government continue to compete against one another, which drives the prices up.
“We’ve created a situation where you literally have hundreds of entities looking to buy the same exact materials, basically from the same place, which is China,” Cuomo explained.
The Governor said that ventilators that once cost $20,000 to $30,000 can now cost $50,000.
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