New York City experienced more than 24,000 deaths in the first wave of the pandemic more than any other municipality in the country.

To stabilize the situation for the 2nd wave, hospitals and care providers are very much capable now than then (at the time of 1st wave). The hospitals have a better knowledge of the virus and how to handle it. They have quite a good quantity of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and have also spread the testing.

Dr. Laura Ivacoli, Head of Emergency Preparedness for NYC (New York City) Healthcare System and Physician at Elmhurst Hospital, Queens exclaimed that there is a lot of anxiety for handling the whole pandemic situation the second time. She also added, “They (Elmhurst Hospital Staff) will rally as I know them, they are the most amazing people I have ever met, but there are anxiety and COVID fatigue”.

Ivacoli said that “Healthcare system is doing this redistributing around the system to generate more COVID capacity”. She exclaimed that the NYC hospitals are well aware than normal to generate COVID capacity in all of the facilities associated.

Maby nurses have said that hospitals have not learned much from the first wave of COVID.

The NYSNA (New York State Nurses Association) also claimed that there is a shortage of staff in terms of nurses as the number of patients is rising in the city. The nurses have to handle one or two patients at a time which will increase to three patients at a time.

The Montefiore administration denied the claim by NYSNA. The administrations senior vice president of operations, Peter Semczuk said that “the administration has a contractual agreement with NYSNA and they will meet the needs of the patients through flexible staffing when required”.

The NYC healthcare system is also focusing on the COVID-19 testing, with proper interviewing which was not performed in the scenario of the first wave.

The NYC (New York City) health authorities are making hospitals stockpile their facilities with the necessary amount of PPE’s, masks and other types of equipment.

NYC (New York City) healthcare system, Montefiore, and many other hospitals and facilities have claimed that they have much, if not more.