With the number of local COVID-19 patients soaring to record levels, Orange County officials announced Tuesday they will deploy mobile field hospitals to relieve some of the stress on the region’s healthcare system. The rollout comes as Orange County, like much of the state and nation, has been besieged by record numbers of COVID-19 infections that, in turn, have flooded its hospitals with unprecedented numbers of coronavirus-positive patients. According to the latest state data, there were 1,486 coronavirus-positive patients hospitalized in Orange County on Tuesday — an all-time high that’s more than doubled from just two weeks ago. The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care had risen to 319 countywide on Tuesday. AdvertisementFor now, though, the stakes remain higher than they have ever been — both in Orange County and throughout the state.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 16, 2020 22:04 UTC