Initially intended for non-Covid-19 hospital patients, the US Department of Defense has now opened the hospital ship USNS Comfort to patients with COVID-19 in order to relieve pressure on New York area hospitals. Comfort is planned to focus on high severity COVID patients, with more mild cases being handled by Javits Center. Allowing COVID-19-positive patients on board has raised concerns about the safety of workers, both medical staff and its crew members. Keeping the virus off the Comfort has already proved challenging as one crew member tested positive on Monday and was being kept in isolation. An additional five patients on board for other ailments later tested positive, but officials said the crew member had not interacted with any patient. The ship has been divided into a “red zone” where patients are located and a “green zone,” where the ship’s non-medical crew operates to help mitigate those concerns.
