Army leaders announced plans to quickly convert unused buildings into makeshift hospitals in multiple states, starting in New York, as hospitals brace for medical shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This week, construction is set to kick off as the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan will be refitted into a 1,000-bed hospital and an additional 1,800 field medical stations, officials said. Soldiers from the New York National Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and civilian employees will prepare the medical facility, slated to begin operating in a week to 10 days.
The race against the virus is “an unbelievably complicated problem” that needs a simple solution, said Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, commanding general of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.