Despite the increased COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles, the Navy hospital ship Mercy won’t be able to offer medical support, as it is dry-docked in Portland for its “scheduled maintenance.”
To remind, since the first wave of the pandemic, USNS Mercy provided relief for Southland hospitals that were preparing for an anticipated surge of coronavirus patients in April.
In fact, the ship was not brought in to treat COVID-19 cases, but to handle other patients and free up hospital beds for virus treatment.
However, the ship is docked in Portland for its maintenance, which is not scheduled to be completed until spring of 2021, followed by a month of sea trials and other post-maintenance testing and training.
In light of the situation, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn wrote on Twitter:
Following the situation, Supervisor Janice Hahn wrote to Gov. Gavin Newsom a letter requesting that he work to bring Army National Guard medical personnel and the U.S.N.S. Mercy hospital ship to Los Angeles County amid a surge in COVID-19 patients.
With the USNS Mercy unavailable, the Department of Defense should prepare to send the USNS Comfort hospital ship currently stationed in Virginia to the @CountyofLA with medical personnel to provide backup for our strained hospital system.
….Janice Hahn added.
Maybe Supervisor Janice Hahn should learn how ship maintenance is scheduled. The ship was scheduled for dry dock when she was sent to LA last year.
Yes you can defer maintenance for a short period. However at some point she either goes in or you can just take her out and sink her.
What good is a hospital ship that is dead in the water because maintenance was not performed?