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\u201cEffective immediately, USNS Comfort will accept trauma, emergency and urgent care patients without regard to their COVID-19 status,\u201d the Northern Command said in a statement<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) arrived in New York on March 30, 2020, bringing with it 1,000 hospital beds and hundreds of medical staff in support of the nation\u2019s COVID-19 response efforts. Its intention was to serve as a referral hospital only for non-COVID-19 patients admitted to shore-based hospitals.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Despite the extra capacity that the ship brings, the government has come under fire for it being under utilized with only about 20 patients admitted on board as of last Thursday, the New York Times reported<\/a>. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A makeshift hospital setup at New York\u2019s Javits Center continues to serve as the U.S. Department of Defense\u2019s primary facility for treating COVID-19 patients. It is now also accepting COVID-19 patients. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFor the Comfort to really \u2026 be a part of the relief for the pressure on the New York City hospitals, we have to be able to do this,\u201d\u00a0said Navy Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, Commander of the U.S. 2nd Fleet, during a telephone news conference. \u201cThis is where there are a tremendous number of patients in the hospitals, most of which are COVID-positive.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Comfort is planned to focus high severity COVID patients, with more mild cases being handled by Javits Center. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe ability to take COVID-19 patients on board USNS Comfort provides increased capability to care for high severity COVID-positive cases, allowing the Javits New York Medical Station to focus on lower severity COVID-positive patients,\u201d the Northern Command said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n