USNS Comfort wows during arrival at New York Harbor
Bryan Llenas reports from the scene at Pier 90 as the Navy hospital ship arrives to treat non-coronavirus patients.
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The USNS Comfort arrived Monday at the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States just 10 days after MSNBC host Rachel Maddow told her viewers it was “nonsense” to think the ship could be ready to help New Yorkers this quickly.
“There is no sign that the Navy hospital ships that the president made such a big deal of, the Comfort and the Mercy, there is no sign that they’ll be anywhere on-site, helping out anywhere in the country, for weeks yet,” Maddow said on March 20.
“There is no sign that the Navy hospital ships that the president made such a big deal of, the Comfort and the Mercy, there is no sign that they’ll be anywhere on-site, helping out anywhere in the country, for weeks yet."
“The president said, when he announced that those ships would be put into action against the COVID-19 epidemic, he said one of those ships would be operational in New York harbor by next week. That’s nonsense, it will not be there next week,” Maddow said.
USNS COMFORT HOSPITAL SHIP ARRIVES IN NEW YORK HARBOR AMID CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
Technically, Maddow’s comments were made a little over a week ago, but the USNS Comfort did embark on its trip to the Big Apple from Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia on Saturday.
The Comfort arrived Monday -- 10 days after Maddow's claim -- bringing a message to all New Yorkers that the Navy “remains committed in this fight,” Rear Adm. John Mustin said.
Maddow's comments appeared in a transcript provided by MSNBC.
The liberal network did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Navy hospital ship, which has held 1,000 beds, a dozen operating rooms, a medical laboratory, a pharmacy and more, sailed into the New York City harbor for the first time since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
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Its crew of 1,200 will “serve as a referral hospital for non-COVID-19 patients currently admitted to shore-based hospitals,” freeing up space in those facilities for medical professionals to tackle the growing pandemic.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday the ship’s arrival meant his city was “going to be able to do the life-saving work right now,” as “750 beds will be put into play immediately to relieve the pressure on our hospital system.”
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“If there is ever a time that we need to work together, it is today,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo added. “The president is right – this is a war, and what does this nation do when it’s at war? It comes together and it acts as one.”
On the West Coast, President Trump has deployed the Comfort's sister ship -- the USNS Mercy -- to Los Angeles, where it is now serving a similar mission.
Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.
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