In an address to the state on Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that COVID-19 hospitalization rates have increased 89% in the last two weeks, and projections indicate the state could run out of ICU beds by Christmas Eve. Newsom suggested "Please stay safe & stay home as much as you can for next few weeks," he also said that he may impose tougher restrictions, including a second stay-at-home order.
Following the address, Newsom Tweeted "This is the tipping point. CA has worked hard to prepare for a surge—but we can’t sustain the record high cases we’re seeing."
On Sunday, the state reported a record-breaking number of COVID-19 hospitalization with 7,415 people being treated with the virus, and more than 1,700 of those patients are in Intensive Care Units (ICU). COVID-19 is responsible for 19,209 deaths in the state and 1.24 million have been diagnosed with the virus.
Health officials predict that this is just the beginning of the surge and are preparing for a tidal wave of cases due to the Thanksgiving holiday when unrestricted gatherings and a significant amount of travel took place nationwide.
Authorities continue to urge Californians to stay home and limit interaction with others, to help slow the spread of the virus and lessen the burden on our health care systems.