The San Diego-based hospital ship Mercy will return to its home port Friday after seven weeks in Los Angeles assisting with patients during the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Northern Command said.
Mercy will leave the Port of Los Angeles around 7 a.m. and is expected at Naval Base San Diego sometime Friday afternoon, the statement said.
The ship left San Diego March 23 just as community spread of the novel coronavirus was increasing and state officials were concerned hospitals would be inundated with patients. The 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 of the Mercy performed several surgeries, including the ship’s first-ever pacemaker replacement.
Related: USNS Comfort Gets Muted Homecoming in Norfolk After Coronavirus Work in New York
They also treated a single victim of a vehicle collision, performing eight surgeries, skin grafts and an orthopedic spine procedure on the patient, the Navy said. All treatment was free to patients.
While the COVID-19 patient wave never overwhelmed LA hospitals, the ship did fight its own coronavirus outbreak on board. Several sailors tested positive and were removed. John Fage, a spokesman for the Navy’s 3rd Fleet, said in an email that the majority of those sailors have recovered and have returned to duty.
Some medical personnel are 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. The Navy says 20 more will also remain to help at others.
The director of the California Office of Emergency Services, Mark Ghilarducci, said Thursday the Mercy was “critical” to the state’s response to the virus. He thanked the Navy, FEMA and federal administrators.
On the East Coast another hospital ship, the USNS Comfort, deployed to support the pandemic response in New York. Unlike the Mercy, the Comfort treated COVID-19 patients among the 182 patients it served on board. It left New York April 30.
This article is written by Andrew Dyer from The San Diego Union-Tribune and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
Read more: Medal of Honor Recipient Dead at 41 After Yearslong Lung Cancer Fight
© Copyright 2020 The San Diego Union-Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Be the first to comment