COVID-19 Cases Surge in New York and California, USA... "Bed Shortages, Healthcare System Collapse Risk"

New York State Positivity Rate More Than Doubled Compared to Last Month
California Hospitalizations Surge Over 70% in Two Weeks
Fauci: "Spread Expected to Continue Through Year-End Holidays into Early Next Year"

Patient being transported to a hospital in Manhattan, New York
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Naju-seok and Kim Su-hwan] As confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) surge in New York State and California in the United States, hospital beds have reached full capacity, raising concerns that the healthcare system could collapse. With expectations of a worsening crisis, the shortage of hospital beds is already causing heightened anxiety.

According to foreign media including The New York Times (NYT) on the 7th (local time), COVID-19 continues to spread in New York State (ranked 5th) and California (ranked 1st), which are among the top states in cumulative confirmed cases in the U.S., with hospital ward occupancy rates reaching dangerous levels. According to the NYT, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a full lockdown, while California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that hospital capacity across the state has reached a critical level due to the surge in confirmed cases.

Governor Cuomo warned that over the past few weeks, the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases, hospitalizations, and positivity rates have all sharply increased across all regions of the state. At a press conference that day, he said that currently 4,602 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized, and most hospitals are facing a “nightmare” of ward saturation. The cumulative confirmed cases in New York State currently stand at approximately 749,000, with over 6,000 new cases reported in a single day. According to Long Island Press, as of the previous day, New York State recorded a positivity rate of 4.71%, more than double the rate of 2.2% recorded 30 days earlier.

The situation is similar in California, which has the highest cumulative confirmed cases in the U.S. at approximately 1.38 million. Governor Newsom stated that as of that day, 10,000 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized, representing a 72% increase compared to two weeks ago. He added that the number of critically ill patients receiving intensive care also rose by 69% during the same period.

In response, California implemented strict lockdown measures starting that day, including a stay-at-home order to curb the spread of COVID-19. According to NPR, California’s lockdown will be in effect for three weeks until the end of the year, affecting 85% of the state’s population. Governor Newsom said that while approximately 73,000 hospital beds remain available statewide, some cities are independently securing additional beds in anticipation of a surge in critically ill patients.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), predicted that the current surge could continue through the year-end holiday season into early next year. According to the NYT, he warned that “mid-January next year will be the peak of the surge.”