TRACKING
TRACKING A WEATHER SYSTEM OFF TO THE NORTH OF US. SOME OF US WILL GET RAIN FROM
THIS.
I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHO.
>>> TONIGHT AND THE CORONAVIRUS
PANDEMIC SPREADING FACTS, NOT
FEAR.
I WE PREPARED AS A NUMBER OF
CONFIRMED CASES AND PEOPLE IN
THE HOSPITAL CONTINUES TO
INCREASE?
>> THERE IS THE QUESTION WE
HAVE BEEN SPENDING SO MUCH TIME
TONIGHT RESEARCHING THROUGHOUT
THE NIGHT.
HERE IS WHAT WE KNOW RIGHT NOW.
IN CALIFORNIA, THERE ARE NO
MORE THAN 5,700 CONFIRMED
CORONAVIRUS CASES AND 135
DEATHS.
IN OUR AREA, SACRAMENTO COUNTY
HAS THE MOST CASES WITH 224
CASES AND 7 DEATHS.
THAT IS DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF
CASES IN LESS THAN A WEEK.
THIS IS RIVERSIDE COUNTY
TONIGHT WHERE THE NATIONAL
GUARD IS WASTING NO TIME MAKING
A HOSPITAL THERE.
THE LOS ANGELES CONVENTION
CENTER HAS ALSO BEEN TURNED
INTO A MAKESHIFT HOSPITAL COOK
OFFICIALS ARE SAYING THE TIME
TO ACT NOW IS CRITICAL.!
THE GOVERNOR IS CALLING ON
PEOPLE WITH HEALTH CARE
EXPERIENCE TO COME FORWARD AND
HELP HOSPITALS.
MORE ON THAT IN JUST A MOMENT,
BUT FIRST, THE BIG QUESTION.
DO LOCAL HOSPITALS HAVE ENOUGH
BEDS TO TREAT A POSSIBLE SEARCH
INPATIENTS?
VAN TIEU IS LIVE WITH SOME
ANSWERS.
>> Reporter: WELL, CHRIS, A
PROJECTION MODEL SHOWED
CALIFORNIA MAY BE ONE OF THE
FEW STATES IN THE COUNTRY THAT
CAN MEET ITS DEMAND FOR ICU BEDS
HERE AT UC DAVIS MEDICAL
CENTER, FOR EXAMPLE.
IT HAS THE MOST ICU BEDS IN
SACRAMENTO COUNTY AT 116,
ACCORDING TO STATE DATA, BUT
STATE OFFICIALS NONETHELESS ARE
PLANNING FOR THE WORST CASE
SCENARIO, ONE THAT CALLS FOR AN
ADDITIONAL 50,000 HOSPITAL BEDS
STATEWIDE.
CALIFORNIA'S CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
MAY PEAK WITH 100 DEATHS PER
DAY IN LATE APRIL, BUT IT IS
ONE OF THE FEW STATES EXPECTED
TO MEET THE NEED FOR ICU BEDS.
ACCORDING TO A FORECAST MODEL
PUBLISHED MONDAY BY THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON'S
MEDICAL SCHOOL, IT IS ALL
THANKS TO AGGRESSIVE PROTECTIVE
MEASURES ALREADY PUT IN PLACE
TOOK SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES
BEGIN IN CALIFORNIA AFTER 19
PEOPLE DIED FROM CORONAVIRUS.
IT WAS NOT ENACTED IN NEW YORK
SINCE THE 99 DEATHS WERE
REPORTED.
IN ITALY, IT TOOK 827 DEATHS.
EARLY ACTION ACCORDING TO MAYOR
DARRELL STEINBERG HAS HELPED
SACRAMENTO.
>> DESPITE THAT GOOD NEWS, WE
ARE STILL WORKING WITH THE
STATE TO IDENTIFY OTHER
POTENTIAL SITES FOR HOSPITAL
BEDS.
>> Reporter: HE SAYS THAT IS
BECAUSE THERE COULD STILL BE A
SURGE, AND SACRAMENTO WILL STEP
UP TO CARE FOR CALIFORNIANS.
OF THIS DAY'S 1,400 CORONAVIRUS
PATIENTS HOSPITALIZED, NEARLY
600 ARE IN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
BEDS, AND THOSE NUMBERS WILL
INCREASE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS
ACCORDING TO GOVERNOR NEWSOM.
KEEP IN MIND, THE AVAILABILITY
FOR INTENSIVE CARE BEDS VERY
FOR CALIFORNIANS.
LOOKING AT STATE DATA, THE
SACRAMENTO REGION HAS 462 ICU
BEDS.
THE MAJORITY ARE IN SACRAMENTO
COUNTY, BUT COUNTIES LIKE
NEVADA, AMADOR, COLUSA HAVE
LESS THAN 10 ICU BEDS.
SUTTER COUNTY HAS ZERO.
MODESTO REGIONS HAS 98 ICU
BEDS, AND STOCKTON HAS 88 ICU
BEDS.
SOLANO COUNTY HAS 82 ICU BEDS,
AND IS PART OF THE CONTRA COSTA
REGION.
SIERRA AND PLUMAS COUNTY HAVE
NO ICU BEDS ARE AND PART OF
RENO'S REGION.
AND SOMETHING TO ADD, CHRIS
TOOK THE UNIVERSITY OF
WASHINGTON MODEL TAKES INTO
ACCOUNT AGGRESSIVE SOCIAL
DISTANCING MEASURES, WHICH IS
WHAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO STAY AT
HOME.
MEANWHILE, THE GOVERNOR'S
OFFICE IS USING ITS OWN DYNAMIC
MODEL, ONE THE PROJECTS A PEAK
IN THE MIDDLE OF MAY.
SO THE STATE RIGHT NOW
OFFICIALLY LOOKING AT 15
PRIORITY SITES ACROSS THE STATE
FOR FIELD HOSPITALS, AND THAT
INCLUDES THE SLEEP TRAIN ARENA.
>> RAPIDLY DEVELOPING STORY,
OUR VAN TIEU LIVE FOR US
TONIGHT.
OF COURSE, DOCTORS AND NURSES
ARE ALSO NEEDED.
JUST HOURS AGO, GOVERNOR GAVIN
NEWSOM ANNOUNCED A BIG PLAN TO
BRING THOUSANDS OF HEALTH CARE
WORKERS IN, BUT HE NEEDS YOUR
HELP.
>> IF YOU ARE A NURSING SCHOOL
STUDENT, MEDICAL SCHOOL
STUDENT, WE NEED YOU.
IF YOU JUST RETIRED IN THE LAST
FEW YEARS, WE NEED YOU.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO EXPAND
YOUR SCOPE OF PRACTICE AND HAVE
PARTICULAR EXPERTISE AND ANY
PARTICULAR CAPACITY, WE NEED
YOU.
>> BY AN EXECUTIVE ORDER, THE
STATE IS EASING RULES TO
INCREASE THE NUMBER OF
PROFESSIONALS IN THE MEDICAL
FIELD.
WE SPOKE TO A RETIRED NURSE WHO
SAYS SHE'S ALREADY JUMPED IN TO
HELP.
>> WHERE WE ARE AT RIGHT NOW,
IT JUST BROKE MY HEART.
I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING
COOKTOP ANNA GONZALES REACHED
OUT TO THE STATE'S NEW WEBSITE,
HEALTHCORPS.CA.GOV.
SHE WILL NOT BE HELPING WITH
DRIVE-THROUGH CORONAVIRUS
TESTING IN THE AREA.
TAKE A LOOK.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT
HEALTH CARE POSITIONS ARE
NEEDED RIGHT NOW AND HOW YOU
CAN HELP, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS
TEXT THE WORD HELP TO NOT
163213310, AND WE WILL SEND YOU
A LINK.
>>> PERSONAL PROTECTION ITEMS
FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS REMAIN
A PROBLEM AS WELL.
TONIGHT, ONE CALIFORNIA NURSE
SAYS THE SITUATION IS ONLY
GETTING WORSE.
>> I HAVE NURSES THAT CALL ME
ON A DAILY BASIS TO TELL ME
THAT THEY ARE SCARED, TO TELL
ME THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
WE DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS.
>> IT IS JUST HEARTBREAKING.
THE GOVERNOR SAYS 100 MILLION
MORE N95 MASKS HAVE BEEN ORDER
FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS, AND
THE STATE HAS ALREADY GIVEN UP
NEARLY 33 3 MILLION.
THE STATE IS WORKING TO
PURCHASE MORE THAN 1 BILLION
GLOVES, BUT THE DEMAND IS ONLY
GROWING.
>>> AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST
STRUGGLES SO FAR IN TRACKING
THE NUMBER OF CASES OF
CORONAVIRUS IN CALIFORNIA HAS
TO DO WITH TESTING AND HOW TO
PREPARE FOR ALL THOSE CASES
TOO, SO TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT
THE NUMBERS IN OUR AREA AND HOW
HARD IT IS TO GET TESTED.
>> Reporter: TODAY, PUBLIC
HEALTH OFFICIAL LABS ARE
EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUES
ALL PUBLIC HEALTH FLOPS ARE
RUNNING INTO ACROSS THE STATE
OF CALIFORNIA.
THEY SAY THERE IS A LIMITED
NUMBER OF TESTING SUPPLIES, AND
BECAUSE OF THAT, PUBLIC HEALTH
IS PRIORITIZING TESTING FOR
THOSE WHO ARE HOSPITALIZED,
HEALTH CARE WORKERS, AND FIRST
RESPONDER SHOWING SYMPTOMS, AS
WELL AS SYMPTOMATIC WORKERS IN
NURSING HOMES AND JAILS.
RIGHT NOW, SACRAMENTO COUNTY
HAS BEEN PROCESSING AN AVERAGE
OF JUST 50 TESTS PER DAY, WHICH
IS UP BY 30 FROM THE BEGINNING
OF LAST WEEK.
PEOPLE WHO LIVE WITHIN 50 MILES
OF THE COUNTY CAN NOW DO DRIVE-
THROUGH TESTING AT CAL EXPO
THROUGH PROJECT BASELINE BY
VERILY.
THAT IS WHERE THEY HAVE 200
TESTS AVAILABLE PER DAY, MONDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY.
BUT KEEP IN MIND YOU MUST
COMPLETE AN ONLINE SCREENER TO
SEE IF YOU QUALIFY.
THEN YOU WILL BE GIVEN A
REFERENCE NUMBER TO SCHEDULE AN
APPOINTMENT.
YOU CAN'T SIMPLY JUST SHOW UP,
EXPECTING TO GET TESTED.
ON PLACER COUNTY WHERE THEY
DON'T HAVE ANY DRIVE-THROUGH
TESTING SITE SET UP YET, THEY
SAY WELL THE TESTING CAPACITY
HAS GROWN NATIONWIDE?
IT IS STILL RELATIVELY LIMITED,
AND THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE A
CLEAR NUMBER OF THE TOTAL
NUMBER OF TESTS AVAILABLE IN
THEIR COUNTY, BUT THEY DID SAY
TESTING COULD BE PROCESSED
THROUGH THE THREE DIFFERENT
ROUTES, PUBLIC HEALTH LABS FOR
THOSE HIGH-RISK GROUPS,
COMMERCIAL LABS OR HOSPITAL
OPERATED TESTING, WHICH IS JUST
STARTING TO EMERGE, AND
FINALLY, LET'S NOT FORGET
ABOUT THE UC DAVIS MEDICAL
CENTER, WHERE STARTING LAST
THURSDAY, THEY BEGAN TESTING
PATIENTS IN RAPID ORDER FOR THE
CORONAVIRUS BOOK THEY SAY THEIR
RESEARCHERS CAN PERFORM MORE
THAN 1,400 TESTS PER DAY AT
THEIR NEWLY DEVELOPED IN-HOUSE
TESTING LAB, BUT THE DOWNSIDE
IS THESE TESTS ARE ONLY
AVAILABLE FOR UC DAVIS PATIENTS
OR BY REFERRALS ONLY.
SO IT'S NOT AVAILABLE TO
EVERYONE JUST YET.
>> AND PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS
ARE RECOMMENDING YOU CALL YOUR
PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR FIRST IF
YOU BELIEVE YOU SHOULD BE
TESTED.
THEY WILL TELL YOU WHAT TO DO
NEXT.
UNTIL THERE IS MORE FOR