Navy hospital ships begin aiding NYC and LA

The two Navy hospital ships, the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy, are beginning to take pressure off the case load for local hospitals in New York and Los Angeles by receiving non-COVID-19 patients. Each hospital ship has approximately 1000 beds and will enable local hospitals in America's two largest cities to focus more fully on patients who have been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The Comfort arrived in New York on Monday, while the Mercy arrived in Los Angeles three days earlier.

During Wednesday's press briefing at the Pentagon, Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modley said the USNS Mercy had been treating 11 patients, and officials said the Comfort was in a position to receive patients imminently.

On Wednesday, there were more than 8,200 cases and at least 180 deaths in California, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University.

New York City's Health Department reported late Tuesday that nearly 1,100 people have died of the virus in the city.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older adults and people with health problems, it can cause severe symptoms like pneumonia and lead to death.

China, where the outbreak began late last year, on Wednesday reported just 36 new COVID-19 cases.