Newsom requests Trump deploy USNS Mercy Hospital Ship to Los Angeles
The Military Sealift Command (MSC) hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) is seen in the eastern Sri Lankan province of Trincomalee port in Trincomalee on May 4, 2018. (ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting the immediate deployment of the USNS Mercy Hospital Ship to the Port of Los Angeles through Sept. 1, 2020, to help assist with the state's battle against COVID-19.
"As you know, California has been disproportionately impacted by repatriation efforts over the last few months. Our state and health care delivery system are significantly impacted by the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases," the letter addressed to President Trump said.
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"In some parts of our state, our case rate is doubling every four days...We project that roughly 56 percent of our population -- 25.5 million people -- will be infected with the virus over an eight week period," the letter continued.
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"This resource will help decompress the health care delivery system to allow the Los Angeles region to ensure that it has the ability to address critical acute care needs, such as heart attacks and strokes or vehicle accidents, in addition to the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases," the letter said.
Read a full copy of the Governor’s letter here.