Construction is underway for a COVID-19 field hospital at Detroit's TCF Center.
As of April 1, Michigan health officials said there were 9,334 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Michigan and 337 confirmed deaths. In Detroit alone, there were over 2,400 cases and 83 deaths.
Those numbers are guaranteed to continue climbing over at least the next several weeks, pushing local hospitals past capacity.
The alternative facility will be made up of two floors and have enough space for 1,000 non-critical COVID-19 patients who are on oxygen, not ventilators.
The Federal Emergency Management Administration says it will use the TCF Center as a field hospital for COVID-19 cases for at least six months.
The TCF Center, which used to be called Cobo Hall, is one of many sites the Army Corps of Engineers inspected as a possible field hospital.
The facility is expected to be ready for patients, if needed, by April 10.
The Army Corps said the state is considering another field hospital at Suburban Showplace in Novi, and that they're ready to go on that as soon as possible.
That has not yet been confirmed by the governor's office.
Want to support reporting like this? Consider making a gift to Michigan Radio today.
