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WPCNR CORONOVIRUS REPORT By John F. Bailey. UPDATED 3: 30 PM EDT March 30, 2020;

The number coronavirus case grew to 66,497 overnight, up from 59,513 yesterday, 10.5% more cases.

A Statewide Command Center is being organized today by a consortium of New York Hospitals to manage coronavirus patients’ care in the weeks ahead. The Center will steer overwhelmed hospital overflows to other hospitals in the system statewide efficiently. The Center agreed to the center this morning at a meeting of downstate and upstate hospitals to set up the Center and promise it will functioning tomorrow.

The Command Center will function in real time, up to the minute reporting from hospitals, and will be able to fill up hospitals relieving as best as the system can so stressed facilities will not as crowded to prevent hospitals from being too stressed, promised the head of the Greater New York Hospitals Association.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said approval of the allocation decisions would be “made by me.” Cuomo added the Command Center would also monitor where supplies are needed and move the stockpiles of state medical supplies to the hospitals in need of resupply.

In a news conference at the converted-to-hospital Javitts Center, Governor Cuomo pointed out that neither the newly arrived navy hospital ship, USS Comfort that steamed in to Pier 90 today, as well as the Javitts Center, ( also opening today as a back-up hospital center) would not handle coronavirus patients.

Governor Cuomo in his remarks at the USS Comfort ,PIER 90 said:

Okay, well there she is. I want to thank Rear Admiral Mustin who is here. I want to thank the United States Navy. They really acted expeditiously in bringing this ship here. I want to thank the Army that is going to help staff the ship. I want to thank the President of the United States, President Trump, who mobilized this effort and he did with all rapid speed.

This will be 1,000 beds for New York hospitals. It won’t treat COVID-19 patients but it will be a relief valve for hospitals that are struggling now, that are over capacity all across the City. So, the 1,000 beds will come in very handy. These 1,000 beds will be complemented with 2,500 beds that we are doing in the Javits Center. I know the field hospitals that wereassembled by the U.S Army. Again, those won’t be for COVID-19 patients but they will be for a relief valve for the hospitals. So, we are doing this ship – 1,000 beds. Javits – 2,500 beds. About 3,500 beds to relieve the stress that our hospital system is facing.

No reporters asked how many ventilators the Comfort had, or how many ventilators the Javitts Center had, or why cornavirus patients at this time are not envisioned to be treated on the ship or in the Javitts Center.

Governor Cuomo said the nation is in a war, and warned all that the states need to be preparing now for the “apex” of maximum number of cases. The figures for states across the nation continue to rise, most notably California with approximately 6,000, Florida with over 4,000 and Illinois over 3,000. In contrast, New York has 66,497 cases. The good news from today’s briefing was that the rate of increase in cases (10.5%) was actually lower than Saturday’s 13%.

The governor said “There are no red states, there are no blue states. There is no prejudice. They are all red, white, and blue.”

Governor Cuomo pleaded for more medical volunteers to join the New York medical volunteer backup team. He called the medical personnel the soldiers in this war, saying that when New York gets through this onslaught of coronavirus infections, he would send New York medical teams to the next most affected states, and the next.

The governor said he has no interest in running for President, when asked what he thought of President Trump’s saying he (the President) would like to run against Mr. Cuomo.