LOS ANGELES, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- As of Monday, 8,578 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized in California, setting a new record high, according to the state's authorities.
The authorities also warned that statewide intensive care units (ICUs) will be overwhelmed next month should there be no further measures to contain the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, 14,034 new confirmed cases were reported on Monday, taking the state's tally to 1,212,968. An additional 20 deaths were reported on the same day, bringing the state's death toll from the disease to 19,141.
"Red flags are flying," said California Governor Gavin Newsom at his Monday COVID-19 online press conference, noting projections showed the number of COVID-19 patients in the state's hospitals could double or triple in the next month, and without any further interventions, ICU patients will jump up 76 percent over the next two weeks.
"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. Current projections show CA will run out of current ICU beds before Christmas Eve. Please stay safe & stay home as much as you can for next few weeks." the governor tweeted after the press conference.
He also posted a sheet on his official Twitter page, showing the projections conducted by the state's health system, in which the current ICU occupation rate stands at 75 percent and will jump to 112 percent by Dec. 24.
Newsome hinted that the state could re-implement the stay-at-home order like at the beginning of this year, saying "if these trends continue we're going to have to take much more dramatic, arguably drastic action." Enditem
