COVID-19 deaths in Los Angeles County topped 200 again today as the virus continued its fatal spread, and state officials announced plans to set up temporary morgue space at the county coroner's office to help store bodies.
State Requests 500 More Federal Medical Personnel to Assist Hospitals
By City News Service
AP PHOTO
With the U.S. Navy hospital ship Mercy in dry-dock for repairs and unavailable to return to the Port of Los Angeles, state officials said today they asked the federal government to deploy more than 500 additional medical personnel across California to assist hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.
According to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the state’s request includes 360 Department of Defense medical personnel, 135 U.S. Health and Human Services Disaster Medical Assistance Team members and 50 Federal Emergency Management Personnel.
Exact plans for their proposed deployment were not released.
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As coronavirus cases continue to skyrocket in Southern California, more than 8,000 COVID-19 patients in Los Angeles County were hospitalized Tuesday, according to data released by the state.
With the U.S. Navy hospital ship Mercy in dry-dock for repairs and unavailable to return to the Port of Los Angeles, state officials said Tuesday they asked the federal government to deploy more than 500 additional medical personnel across California to assist hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.
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According to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the state’s request includes 360 Department of Defense medical personnel, 135 U.S. Health and Human Services Disaster Medical Assistance Team members and 50 Federal Emergency Management Personnel.
Exact plans for their proposed deployment were not released.
“Bringing additional medical staff into the state will allow us to save lives and ensure our hospital systems are not overstretched,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “Now is the time to use every resource at our disposal to fight the spread of this virus and protect Californians.”