Some of New York's newest doctors are going to be newer than usual, as the city pulls out all the stops to fight a virus whose infections are doubling every three days.
NYU said Wednesday its medical school will let medical students graduate early, pending approval by the state Department of Education and other regulatory bodies.
"In response to the growing spread of COVID-19, and in response to Governor Cuomo’s directive to get more physicians into the health system more quickly, NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU have agreed to permit early graduation for its medical students" pending those approvals, the school said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear if all fourth-year students would qualify. The Grossman School of Medicine matriculated 102 students in 2018, according to the latest data on its website.
Four weeks ago there was not a single coronavirus case in the city. Now, NYC is the national epicenter, with 30% of all U.S. cases, and nearly 200 people have died.
