NEW YORK — To date, New York City has had more than 134,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and just over 10,000 deaths, which is about one-fourth of all coronavirus deaths in the United States.
And that's where the military is playing a key role.
The Fort Eustis based "Joint Task Force - Civil Support " got the call on March 24 to head to New York in support of FEMA's response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Their mission: to help alleviate the burden on the New York hospital system by providing medical support to at a field hospital at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.
Task Force Commander, Major General Bill Hall said his troops are faring well under the circumstances.
"Treating 250 to 350 patients a day has been just unbelievable," said Hall. "And they're all proud to be here. They're proud to be part of this. This is what they train for. A special DNA for someone to join the military and want to serve their country."
Hall went on to say, "There's some tired eyes, I won't tell you that there's not. But, their dedication and what they're doing to serve New Yorkers and New Jersey people is just unbelievable."
Hall said he's hopeful after all these weeks that, maybe the tide is starting to turn in the pandemic.
"We're cautiously optimistic that we're on the backside of the curve," he said.