SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — San Francisco health officials sent a frightening message to residents on Sunday in what they are calling the worst COVID-19 surge in the city.
Hospitals are overwhelmed and might not be able to care for those who need it.
“Unlike previous surges, every hospital in California is under stress. There is no place to transfer people if we run out of beds,” the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management wrote on Twitter.
San Francisco Director of Public Health Dr. Grant Colfax predicts San Francisco hospitals will run out of ICU beds by Dec. 26.
Dr. Colfax says in the last month, COVID-19 hospitalizations have tripled. In the last week alone, hospitalizations have increased by 35%.
By Jan. 4, there will be about 200 sick people in need of a hospital bed. Dr. Colfax says if conditions don’t improve, there could be 1,600 people in need of a hospital bed.
Colfax doesn’t talk just about the lack of hospital beds, though, he also references the shortage of nurses and doctors.
“It hurts me to say this, but there may not be a nurse or doctor or hospital available to care for you,” Dr. Colfax said.
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