Hospital ship to take healthy seniors from nursing homes where coronavirus has infected residents

The Navy’s lead hospital ship Mercy will begin receiving senior citizens to help nursing homes on the mainland which have been overwhelmed by the coronavirus outbreak.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday that the former oil tanker docked in Los Angeles would take on the seniors who are not infected from homes where COVID-19 infections were spreading. 

Concerns over the elderly and their exposure to the virus in California nursing homes began escalating this week. 

Eighty four patients were evacuated from the Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riverside, east of Los Angeles, on Wednesday.

The Mercy arrived in L.A. March 27, to play a key role as California braces for a surge in COVID-19 infections that could require 50,000 hospital beds statewide in the next five to 10 weeks.  

Governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday that the Mercy, a former oil tanker docked in Los Angeles would take on the seniors who are not infected from nursing homes where COVID-19 infections were spreading. A patient is evacuated from one of the homes earlier this week

Concerns over the elderly and their exposure to the virus in California nursing homes began escalating this week. Eighty four patients were evacuated from the Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (pictured) in Riverside, east of Los Angeles, on Wednesday  

The state is also sending 600 nurses who specialize in treating infectious diseases to assist the nursing homes and similar facilities caring for the elderly in an effort to slow the outbreak and quarantine older patients who have become infected, Newsom said. 

Seniors, who are considered most at risk to become seriously ill from the virus, remain the state’s top priority, says Newsom.

‘I’m just giving you an overall sense of the seriousness to which we place our efforts and focus on protecting our most vulnerable, our seniors in the state of California,’ Newsom said Friday during his daily briefing on the outbreak in Sacramento. 

There have been more than 21,000 confirmed cases in California of the virus, which has been blamed for close to 600 deaths. 

Across the U.S. there have been more than 505,400 confirmed cases and 18,798 deaths.

Across the U.S. there have been more than 505,400 confirmed cases and 18,798 deaths

How the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. has escalated over time

How the number of new coronavirus infections has spread over time

A day-to-day look at the number of deaths in the U.S. resulting from the coronavirus

The evacuations of the Magnolia nursing home came after only one of the 13 certified nursing assistants at the facility showed up for work for two consecutive days.

Five employees and 34 residents at the 90-bed facility had become infected with the virus.  

The residents of the nursing home are now being sent to other facilities that will need to follow virus containment measures.

Those residents who are not infected are being transferred first, along with their personal belongings, public health officials say. 

If the patients are well enough they may potentially be sent home instead of being transferred elsewhere. 

Some may also end up on the Mercy.

Riverside County public health officials said they don’t know why the employees didn’t report for work.

Health officials were forced to send in more than 30 nurses to help with the evacuations after the facility’s employees didn’t show up.

No one at the facility could be reached for comment.