Jamaica Hospital 'flooded' by COVID-19 patients, doctors say
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By David Brand
UPDATE [March 29, 2020 at 8:30 a.m.]: This story has been updated to include information from a second Jamaica Hospital physician.
More than 100 patients with COVID-19 are receiving care at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, with “80 percent” of the hospital now devoted to treating the illness, according to a physician working there.
COVID-19 patients now take up five of of the building’s six floors, said another physician at Jamaica Hospital.
A cell phone video that was posted to social media Friday reveals a crowded emergency room, with beds packed together leading to a hallway.
“It is the exact picture now,” one physician said of the video. He asked to remain anonymous in order to speak freely. “We are flooded with patients.”
The tail end of the video shows the area where patients who are suspected to have COVID-19 are kept in the hospital, he said.
Though city-run Elmhurst Hospital Medical Center has emerged as the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis, the outbreak threatens to strain other local hospitals as well.
More than 25,500 New Yorkers, including 8,214 people in Queens, had tested positive for COVID-19 as of 8:30 a.m. Friday. At least 366 had died, according to city figures.
PATIENTS WEAR PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT WHILE MAINTAINING SOCIAL DISTANCING AS THEY WAIT IN LINE FOR A COVID-19 TEST AT ELMHURST HOSPITAL CENTER. AP PHOTO/JOHN MINCHILLO
Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, a nonprofit facility off the Van Wyck Expressway in Richmond Hill, is located in a district where more than 50 percent of people tested for the illness were diagnosed with the illness, according to a map published by the city Friday.
A physician who spoke with the Eagle said Jamaica Hospital has a little more than 70 ventilators, of which about 60 are in use by patients with COVID-19. The devices are vital for assisting COVID-19 patients with critical breathing problems.
“We are running low on ventilators but still not in a position where we need to make the decision of not to intubate because of age,” the physician said, adding that three residents have tested positive for COVID-19.
Another physician at Jamaica Hospital estimated that ten people have so far died there, including a 27-year-old man.
”It was a rough night for all of us,” she said Saturday. She also asked to remain anonymous.
“The numbers are going up,” she added. “We are testing more.”
A spokesperson for Jamaica Hospital declined to provide specific patient or ventilator statistics.
“I’m not going to give you numbers on how many patients we have but it’s obvious that we are dealing with a serious health crisis here and we’re putting all our efforts into treating our patients,” said hospital spokesperson Michael Hinck.
“Suffice to say this is a great challenge and we’re doing our best and I applaud our frontline staff for all they’re doing,” Hinck continued. “We’re doing everything we can to meet this challenge.”
Queens, a borough of roughly 2.3 million people, has ten hospitals and the lowest per capita hospital rate in the city.
Patients have been lining up for hours to get tested in a temporary testing tent outside Elmhurst Hospital. More than a dozen people died at the hospital during a 24-hour span Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday that the city was diverting 40 ventilators and 56 staff members to contend with the crisis at Elmhurst.
