Two hundred National Guard members have been sent to dozens of testing sites across California this to help expedite the testing process during the state's new wave of COVID cases.
Governor Newsom 's office released in a statement that the intention of activating the National Guard is to increase capacity at testing facilities. More than 200 Cal Guard members will be deployed across sites around the state, for the purpose of serving as interim clinical staff while permanent staff is hired.
The state looks to increase capacity for walk-in appointments, help with crowd control and backfill for staff absences. The governor's office said more Cal Guard members will be deployed next week for the same purpose. The Governor's Office said that sites in Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties will also receive assistance from the National Guard in the coming days. State models used to forecast the impact of the new variant show that within a month, California could have a record 23,000 people in hospitals with COVID-19.