California hospital leaders worry about potential bed shortage as state COVID-19 cases surge to highest in the nation

CONTINUES AS FOX FORTY'S LONNYWONG REPORTS TONIGHT, SOME OFTHESE HOSPITALS ARE INEMERGENCY MODE.CALIFORNIA HAS NOW EXCEEDEDTHE NUMBER OF COVID POSITIVECASES THAN THE PREVIOUS LEADERNEW YORK STATE THE CALIFORNIAHOSPITAL ASSOCIATION SAYSRECENT TRENDS SHOW THATHOSPITALIZATIONS FOLLOW ABOUT2 WEEKS AFTER A SPIKE INPOSITIVE TEST.

RIGHT NOW COVIDPATIENTS TAKE A ROUGHLY 7,000OF THE STATE'S APPROXIMATELY50,000 AVAILABLE BEDS TO 1000OF THEM ARE IN INTENSIVE CAREBUT REMEMBER BETTER USE FOROTHER INJURED OR SICK PATIENTSBESIDES THOSE WHO HAVE THEVIRUS.

HOSPITAL SAY 5,000AVAILABLE BEDS ARE NOT ENOUGHFOR A SEARCH WE NEED TO BEPREPARED TO TREAT AS MANY AS25,000 COVID POSITIVEPATIENTS.ABOUT 4 TIMES THE LEVELWHERE WE ARE TODAY SURGENUMBERS ARE COMING IN FROMSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COUNTIESIMPERIAL COUNTY HAD A SPIKE OF600 HOSPITAL CASES IN RECENTWEEKS WITH SOME PATIENTSTRANSFERRED TO SEVERAL AREAHOSPITALS.THE CENTRAL VALLEY IS ARECENT HOT SPOT, ESPECIALLY INSEVERAL KING COUNTY WHERECOVID PATIENTS ARE STRAININGITS HOSPITAL SYSTEM.

MANY OFTHE STATE'S HOSPITALS HAVEALREADY PLANNED FOR A SEARCHTHAT IS NOT PRETTY THAT MEANSTHAT IN OFFICE BUILDINGS INCONFERENCE ROOMS AND ALL THEREST WITHIN THE HOSPITALFOOTPRINT CIVIL 1000 BEDS AREAVAILABLE AT ALTERNATE SITESLIKE AT SACRAMENTO'S SLEEPTRAIN ARENA.

BUT THOSE ARE NOTIDEAL FOR TREATMENT OF ACUTECASES, ALTHOUGH THEY CANRELIEVE THE OVERLOAD BY TAKINGHOSPITAL PATIENTS WHO HAVEMORE MINOR AILMENTS EVEN IFTHERE WERE ENOUGH BEDSHOSPITALS ARE STRUGGLING WITHOTHER SHORTAGES OF PERSONALPROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT TESTINGSUPPLIES AND ALL IMPORTANTNURSES HORRIFIED NURSES ARE INHIGH DEMAND IN OTHER STATESMUST ALSO STAFF COVID DEATHSAND THE NUMBER OF AVAILABLEBEDS BEINGS LITTLE THEY ARELOCATED WITH THE NEXT HOT SPOTFLARES UP OUTBREAKS CAN HAPPENAT ANY TIME AND IN ANY PLACEIN SACRAMENTO.

LONNIE WONGFOX, 40 NEWS.

AND THE HOSPITAL