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A record number of people are in the hospital for COVID-19 in Sacramento County.
The California Department of Public Health says there were nearly 550 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Sunday, with nearly 100 patients reportedly consisting of emergency ICU care. That number beat a record set in December 2020. “All the projections indicate that we will likely will reach a peak somewhere in late January or early February,” Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said. “We’re still seeing cases trending upward.” COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the country, and new California health mandates allow for healthcare workers to continue working if they test positive, but show no signs of symptoms, increasing weariness among healthcare community over continued spreading. The new ruling was put in place to ease staffing shortages as more hospitals and emergency rooms continue to fill up.
At the time, Governor Newsom said California had contracted over 2,300 out-of-state health care staff in recent weeks, and more were on their way.