{"id":11833,"date":"2020-04-26T16:07:33","date_gmt":"2020-04-26T16:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/26\/navy-hospital-ship-comfort-offloads-few-remaining-patients-before-nyc-exit\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:42:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:42:51","slug":"navy-hospital-ship-comfort-offloads-few-remaining-patients-before-nyc-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/coronavirus\/2020\/04\/26\/navy-hospital-ship-comfort-offloads-few-remaining-patients-before-nyc-exit\/","title":{"rendered":"Navy hospital ship Comfort offloads few remaining patients before NYC exit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEW YORK \u2014 The Navy hospital ship sent to relieve stress on New York City hospitals<\/a> at the height the pandemic is discharging or transferring its last 12 patients this weekend as it nears the end of its mission, according to Northwell Health, which provides operational assistance to the vessel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The USNS Comfort, docked at a Manhattan pier since March 30, will soon leave for its homeport in Norfolk<\/a>, Virginia, where it will restock and be readied for another possible assignment, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said. He did not provide a date for the ship\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of Saturday, the 1,000-bed hospital ship had treated just 182 patients. There was just one patient left on the ship late Saturday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally deployed to care for patients without coronavirus, the Comfort switched gears and started accepting them<\/a> as the city\u2019s hospitals became overrun with people suffering from the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hoffman said the Comfort\u2019s impending departure \u201cis a sure sign of modest progress in mitigating the virus in the nation\u2019s hardest hit city and is a welcome sign.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t