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California hospitals brace for holiday coronavirus cases

Virus Outbreak-US Surge
Posted at 11:19 AM, Dec 27, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-27 14:19:49-05

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hospitals in central and Southern California are quickly running out of intensive care unit beds for coronavirus patients.

State officials are poised to extend the strictest stay-at-home orders there as conditions worsen before the post-holiday surge hits.

The situation is already dire, and the worst is expected to come in the next few weeks after Christmas and New Year’s travelers return home.

California hit 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Christmas Eve, becoming the first state to reach the grim milestone.

State stay-at-home orders for the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California are set to expire Monday but Gov. Gavin Newsom has signaled they would not be allowed to lapse.