A pair of U.S. Navy hospital ships will be deployed to New York and on the West Coast, where medical workers are anxiously expecting a major influx of patients as the coronavirus spreads.
President Trump announced the plans for deployment during a news conference Wednesday, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed that he expects one of those ships — the USNS Comfort — to take up a position in New York Harbor, adjacent to New York City.
The USNS Mercy, meanwhile, is based on the West Coast and expected to deploy to coastal regions on that side of the country.
The Comfort "has about 1,000 rooms on it. It has operating rooms," Cuomo told reporters at a news conference Wednesday.