WASHINGTON _ Some cities are preparing for a resurgence of coronavirus cases in the fall and winter by signing leases with sites for Army field hospitals that last through December, the head of the Army Corps of Engineers said Friday.
Over the last 35 days, the Corps has been rapidly building field hospitals that have added more than 15,700 hospital beds across the country to address local concerns that available medical space would not be enough for the expected influx of COVID-19 patients.
The rapid buildup was based on assumptions that coronavirus cases would peak nationally by late April, but that now appears unlikely, said Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, commanding general and chief engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
