CLAIM: During the press conference announcing his resignation, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said that New York “was on its own” during the Chinese Coronavirus surge.
VERDICT: FALSE. During the height of Chinese coronavirus cases in New York, former President Donald Trump sent the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship, to help with the lack of hospital beds and equipment, while also sending millions of dollars in aid to the state.
In the wake of his resignation, Cuomo misled the public, despite the fact the USNS Comfort was sent to New York and docked at Pier 9, which is on the west side of Manhattan. The ship was capable of housing 1,000 patients, with 12 operating rooms and 1,200 personnel. The ship never came close to utilizing its full potential.
Reportedly, Capt. Patrick Amersbach, commanding officer of the Comfort’s Medical Treatment Facility, said that the ship only saw 182 patients. Additionally, only roughly 70 percent had the Chinese coronavirus.
Additionally, by the end of April 2020, the list of supplies the Trump White House provided for the state totaled millions in medical supplies and federal aid. New York was reportedly given “12 million N95 respirators, 3 million surgical masks, 379,374 face shields, 313,810 surgical gowns, 8,060 coveralls, 3 million gloves, and 4,540 ventilators.”
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) committed $1.3 billion, and Trump agreed to waive the state’s 25 percent share of the aid. Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan was set up by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to be used as an emergency hospital. At the same time, the military sent hundreds of physicians and nurses to help with staffing.
Agencies like the Small Business Administration (SBA) gave over 20 billion in small business loans, and other agencies like Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded millions in grants and aid to help fight the Chinese coronavirus.
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