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QUEENS WEEKLY, APRIL 5, 2020
Elmhurst Hospital’s leadership answers community’s
pressing questions during COVID-19 virtual town hall
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
Queens Councilman Francisco
Moya hosted a COVID-19
virtual town hall with Elmhurst
Hospital’s leadership on Monday,
March 30, where they answered
some of the community’s pressing
questions and provided updates
on the hospital’s needs.
The town hall featured a few
words from Israel Rocha, vice
president of NYC Health + Hospitals
and CEO of Elmhurst and
Queens Hospitals, and a presentation
and Q&A with Dr. Joseph
Masci, chairman of Elmhurst
Hospital’s Department of Global
Health and a specialist in general
infectious diseases and emergency
preparedness.
“A few years ago, Elmhurst
Hospital realized that we actually
were battling conditions, diseases
and pathogens from all over
the world, and that disease does
not respect borders, it does not respect
barriers,” Rocha said.
Rocha added that Elmhurst
Hospital was one of the first hospitals
in the country to create a
Global Health program, which is
led by Dr. Masci.
Dr. Masci noted that Elmhurst
Hospital, which is now the epicenter
of the pandemic in New
York City, had 200 patients with
COVID-19 as of Monday, March
30. “The hospital is very, very full
right now,” he said.
He said that while they have
the equipment and staff members
they need, what they really need
is space. If people want to donate
nearby space or equipment, they
should get in contact with Rocha
or the hospital’s administration.
The peak of COVID-19 will see
30 to 40 percent more cases than
there currently are in the city, according
to Dr. Masci.
When asked why Queens and
Elmhurst Hospital have been
overrepresented in New York
City’s COVID-19 health emergency,
Dr. Masci said that while they
can’t know anything until they
have time to study it, the rest of
New York City’s hospital system
is now seeing similar activity.
“That initial spike in Queens
is now being matched throughout
the city,” he said.
Dr. Masci delineated some of
what they’ve observed of COVID-
19.
According to Dr. Masci, 80 percent
of people who are infected
have no symptoms or have symptoms
that aren’t severe enough
to require hospitalization, but 20
percent do require hospitalization.
Five percent of that total
will need intensive care.
Dr. Masci said that it’s uncommon
for people under 30 to develop
serious symptoms, according
to cases around the world and in
the U.S.
The Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene strongly recommends
against testing people
with mild or no symptoms. But an
indicator that individuals should
go to the hospital is when they experience
shortness of breath, Dr.
Masci said.
When it comes to masks,
Dr. Masci said that they won’t
necessarily do anything to
protect you if you’re not sick.
He stressed that washing your
hands more times than you
think you should and staying
home will minimize the risk of
getting the virus.
Personal protective equipment,
Dr. Masci said, should be
preserved for hospital and medical
employees. “We have to protect
people who work in the hospitals,
because if we lose them,
then we’ll have a much bigger
problem,” he said.
He also offered a look at what
the future will bring.
He said it’s almost certain
there will be many additional
cases and deaths in the city and
country, as well as confusing messages.
They predict there will be
further restrictions on travel in
and outside of the country, more
hospital crowding, and more hospital
supply issues.
“We don’t think we’ve seen the
peak of this yet. We think it’s going
to continue to get worse for
several more weeks,” Dr. Masci
said.
Moya, who was born at
Elmhurst Hospital and later
worked there, thanked all the
nurses, doctors, janitors and hospital
workers for “doing God’s
work.”
“We’ve been hit hard by this,
but we’re New Yorkers. We’re
resilient. We stick together. We
band together, and if we do things
right, we will get through this,”
Moya said. “And I hope that tonight’s
presentation will calm a
lot of the fears and answer some
of the questions we had here today.”
For more information, visit
nyc.gov/coronavirus, and to reach
Councilman Moya, email m21@
council.nyc.gov.
To watch the full town hall,
visit Councilman Moya’s Facebook
page. A Spanish-translated
version will be uploaded to You-
Tube.
People wait in line to be tested for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while wearing protective gear, outside
Elmhurst Hospital Center on March 25. REUTERS/Stefan Jeremiah
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