In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. Navy ship USNS Mercy has been dispatched to Los Angeles.
The ship, which is expected to arrive from San Diego later this week or early next week, holds more than 1,000 hospital beds - including 80 intensive care unit beds.
Local officials have scrambled to increase the number of available hospital beds in the Los Angeles area as the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 rapidly increase. The County currently has less than 200 intensive care unit beds available, with roughly 90 percent occupied by non-COVID-19 patients, according to an announcement from Supervisor Janice Hahn's office.
The State of California has temporarily reopened two recently shuttered acute care facilities in response to the outbreak - St. Vincent Medical Center in Westlake and Long Beach Community Hospital.
As of March 23, there are over 500 confirmed cases in Los Angeles County. That number is expected to grow, as Los Angeles officials ramp up testing for the virus.
While the USNS Mercy docks offshore, officials are also exploring creative solutions for addressing coronavirus on dry land.
The Daily Breeze reports that the Sunrise Hotel at 525 S. Harbor Boulevard will be transitioned into emergency use - potentially as a quarantine facility, emergency housing, or for medical and health care services.
State officials have previously stated plans to activate private hotels and motels for shelter facilities during the crisis.
