Take a look inside New York City's convention center turned makeshift hospital

(Image credit: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

last updated 27 March 2020

It took New York City just about a week to build its newest 1,000-bed hospital.

As of Friday, what's being called the New York Medical Station at the Javits Center appears ready to open for non-COVID-19 cases. Rows of makeshift hospital rooms line the main convention floor separated by temporary walls and sheet doors, and all the rooms are decked out with a bed, lamp, and even a little plant.

Starting Monday, the Javits Center will serve patients who aren't suspected of having the new coronavirus, as those cases have quickly overwhelmed New York City's existing hospitals. Still, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has warned the 1,000 additional beds won't satisfy the growing need for hospital space throughout the city. He called on President Trump to approve building field hospitals across the city's five boroughs to provide an additional 4,000 beds as New York quickly becomes the global epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also thanked the Army National Guard, which put together the Javits hospital in just a week.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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