MERCY

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Ship unable to assist in pandemic due to yard call

Despite the dire need of extra beds for Covid-19 hit people in California, the USNS 'Mercy', which was deployed to assist during the first corona wave in spring 2020, cannot come to the rescue now, as it's at the yard. There are now so many Covid-19 affected Americans in the Los Angeles area that ambulance drivers were told not to drive patients to hospitals if they have only a small chance of surviving. Therefore, more hospital beds were desperately needed. Authorities in Los Angeles have asked the US Navy to send the USNS 'Mercy' again. But the Navy has replied that the ship is not available. It is docked at the Vigor Industrial yard in Portland, Oregon, where it is undergoing a major overhaul and is unable to sail. The ship has been at the shipyard since July, where it will undergo a major upgrade that will extend the ship's life to 2036, and it will not be ready for action until later in the spring.

COVID-19 struck hospital ship returned to its base

The San Diego-based USNS 'Mercy' returned to its home port on May 15, 2020, after seven weeks in Los Angeles assisting with patients during the coronavirus pandemic. It left the Port of Los Angeles about 7 a.m. and was expected at Naval Base San Diego in the afternoon. The ship left San Diego on March 23 just as community spread of the novel coronavirus was increasing and state officials were concerned hospitals would be inundated with patients. The USNS 'Mercy' was to serve as a relief valve, taking on non-coronavirus patients and freeing up space in Los Angeles hospitals. The ship saw 77 patients over about six weeks. It discharged its final patient May 5. While in Los Angeles, the medical staff performed several surgeries, including the ship’s first-ever pacemaker replacement. They also treated a single victim of a vehicle collision, performing eight surgeries, skin grafts and an orthopedic spine procedure on the patient. All treatment was free to patients. While the COVID-19 patient wave never overwhelmed L.A. hospitals, the ship did fight its own coronavirus outbreak on board. Several sailors tested positive and were removed from the ship for isolation. The majority of those sailors have recovered and have returned to duty. Some medical personnel were staying in Los Angeles and Orange County to assist at skilled nursing facilities. About a month ago, 40 sailors began working off the ship at one such facility. 20 more will also remain to help at others.

Medical staff removed from corona infected hospital ship

The US Navy has removed 116 medical personnel from the 'Mercy' after seven of them tested positive for the new coronavirus on April 14. The medical ship staff was taken to a nearby base and remains in quarantine. None have been hospitalized so far. It was not known where or how the sailors were infected. The ship left San Diego on March 23 and all personnel were screened before boarding. It arrived in Los Angeles four days later to relieve the city in the midst of the pandemic by accepting patients who were not infected with the virus. None of the more than 1,000 personnel on board were authorized to leave the ship after it left San Diego. The only people getting on and off the ship were the patients. The first case emerged last week as the ship prepared to receive elderly patients at qualified nursing homes in Los Angeles to protect them from exposure to the virus. The ship, with 1,000 beds, has so far received only 20 hospital patients and none have tested positive for the coronavirus or shown any symptoms of the disease. Two medical personnel on the ship who were tested positive came into close contact with a small number of patients, but they wore full protective gear, including gloves, N95 masks and goggles. The removal of the 116 crew members will not affect the ship's ability to treat patients. The Navy also plans to send some of its employees who have been screened and have completed a period of self-quarantine of 14 days working in Los Angeles. The navy has strictly followed the guidelines of disease control and prevention centers for hospitals and also carried out a thorough cleaning of the ship, including disinfection of the areas where the infected personnel could have been. Those on board practiced social distancing as best as possible.