On Wednesday, Disney Parks released a blog post stating that the company has donated medical supplies, such as N95 masks, to several states, including New York, which has become the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United states.
The post, penned by Disney Parks Editorial Content Director Thomas Smith states in part:
In response to requests from hospitals that are in need of additional protective garments and medical-related supplies, Disney Parks has donated 150,000 rain ponchos to MedShare, a humanitarian aid organization, for distribution to hospitals in need. The idea was inspired by nurses across the country who inventively found that rain ponchos can be an excellent way to protect their clothing and prolong the use of PPE, while also freeing up gowns when needed … Disney Parks also recently donated more than 100,000 N95 masks to the states of New York, California and Florida, and is finding additional ways to give back.
The statement continues, noting that Disney parks from around the world have also donated “270 tons of food to local food banks,” and that “Disneyland Paris donated more than 100,000 medical supplies, including masks, hygiene caps and protective shoes to the French government for distribution to hospitals in France.”
MedShare CEO Charles Redding responded to Disney’s donations, stating in part: “We appreciate Disney partnering with us to support hospitals and healthcare workers on the frontlines.”
These donations come as New York has been hammered by COVID-19, with a peak resource usage predicted to take place sometime in the next 8 to 14 days.
Over the last two weeks, New York has been preparing for the apex of the illness.
The Army Corps of Engineers has erected a 1,200-bed temporary field hospital in Manhattan’s Javits Convention Center with the capacity of expanding to as many as 2,910 beds.
Samaritan’s Purse, which has “partnered with New York’s Mount Sinai Health System,” according to USA Today, has set up a field hospital in Central Park with ten ventilators and a 68-bed capacity. The hospital “will prioritize moving overflow patients from the Brooklyn and Queens Mount Sinai branches so they can resume respiratory care treatment.”
On Monday, the Naval hospital ship USNS Comfort docked in New York’s Pier 88. The ship has approximately 1,000 beds, and will take admissions of cases not related to COVID-19 in order to relieve pressure from New York City hospitals.
COVID-19, which originated in China’s Hubei province, has infected over 921,900 people worldwide, and led to more than 46,250 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) Global Cases map. 192,964 people have recovered.
In the United States, there have been more than 206,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and over 4,500 deaths. As of publication, 8,413 individuals have recovered from the virus.
According to the New York State website, there have been 83,712 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state, and 1,941 deaths. In New York City alone, there have been over 44,900 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 1,139 deaths.