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Coronavirus Update: Miami-Dade Field Hospital Ready If Needed

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Miami-Dade County has a 250-bed field hospital that is ready to be used at any moment. It's located on the county's fairgrounds at Tamiami Park.

If it were to open, it wouldn't be the first stop for a COVID-19 patient who has serious symptoms.

"It's really meant for those patients that are about to be discharged and just need to be looked after for a couple of days," Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez said.

As of Tuesday, the county had 5,000 beds available at hospitals. So, if hospitals are at capacity for example, the people close to being discharged would be sent to the field temporary hospital.

"They'll have a transport mechanism to take those patients, put them at that 250 bed facility which will then open up 250 beds across the county in a hospital bed which are much more capable to handling serious people," the mayor said.

Crews are able to double the facility in size. It's estimated to take only 3 days, if needed.

"If we need additional, we put up another 250 bed facility within 72 hours. Right now. It's up, it's running, it's ready to go. Everything is set," the Mayor said.

When it comes to ventilators, the latest numbers show hospitals countywide have more than 1,000, the state has roughly 500 reserved for Miami-Dade, and hospitals are still waiting on 300 that they've ordered.

Also during Tuesday's news conference, the mayor said there will be no countywide curfew in the near future. He said the police director told him it's not needed.

Also, there may be a testing site on the way somewhere in the southern part of the county.

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There were plans to put a testing site at the fairgrounds, but the mayor says the resources went to another county.

"There was no testing facility from the state in West Palm Beach. So we already had two in Miami-Dade, one at Marlins Park and the other at the Hard Rock, so they didn't feel it was right to get a third one," the Mayor said.

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