Los Angeles May See New York City-Level Virus Surge in Five Days
Los Angeles May See New York City-Level Virus Surge in Five Days
(Bloomberg) -- Los Angeles could experience within five days a coronavirus surge similar to what New York City has seen if the spread continues at the rate California officials have recorded in recent days.
“We will have doctors making excruciating decisions,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Friday at a press briefing alongside Governor Gavin Newsom.
Surge modeling shows California will require an additional 50,000 hospital beds, Newsom said. That will likely happen in the next six to 10 weeks, he added.
Newsom and Garcetti spoke in front of the U.S. Navy hospital ship Mercy, which docked in Los Angeles to lend extra medical space for non-coronavirus needs.
“This ship will be the largest hospital in Los Angeles,” Garcetti said. Newsom added that the ship is a “COVID-free bubble,” creating more space for coronavirus patients in the rest of the city’s hospitals.
Earlier Friday, Newsom declared a statewide eviction moratorium for renters affected by Covid-19, which will last through May 31.
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