Elmhurst Hospital forced to de-ice oxygen tanks under strain of coronavirus patients

There are so many coronavirus patients receiving respiratory assistance at Elmhurst Hospital that the facility’s oxygen tanks are working on overdrive -- forcing employees to de-ice them more than usual.

On Friday morning, thick piles of ice covered the area surrounding the massive oxygen tanks at the northeast corner of the hospital. Univision 41 Investiga observed as two employees used a pressure hose and a shovel to cleared the fenced-in area.

These oxygen tanks naturally get covered in some ice because of condensation, given that the inside of the tank is freezing. But we were told the tanks never get this frosty.

It’s one of many signs outside the city-run hospital in Queens that the spread of this strand of coronavirus is putting unprecedented stress on the health care system — and will soon overwhelm it.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst is the most distressed health care facility in the city at the moment. Municipal government officials acknowledged that 13 people infected with coronavirus died in a single 24-hour period ending Wednesday.

New York City is the epicenter of the pandemic that has reached the United States, and Queens is the hardest hit borough in the city. As of March 27 at 8:30 a.m., 124 people have died of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Queens — a third of the city’s total.

But 25,573 have been diagnosed with the sickness in the city, the mayor said during his Friday afternoon press conference. And that number keeps doubling every few days.

Outside the hospital’s trauma center, 69 people wearing masks stood in line waiting to enter the facility’s special tent in hopes of being tested for COVID-19. They each stood several feet apart, practicing the “social distancing” so many government officials have advised.

Hospital employees leaving the overnight shift looked exhausted as they made their way home, some still wearing their masks. A pair of disposed latex gloves were left on the sidewalk across the street.

One hospital employee, who asked to remain anonymous, spoke to Univision 41 Investiga on his way into work.

“It’s very bad,” he said, shaking his head.