California Healthline senior correspondent Anna Maria Barry-Jester appeared on KQED’s “Forum” on Friday to discuss how hospitals are grappling with a shortage of protective gear during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued a statewide order for California residents to stay at home. He projected that 56% of the state’s population could be infected by COVID-19 over an eight-week period if mitigation efforts were ignored. In a worst-case scenario, the state would need nearly 20,000 additional hospital beds to deal with a surge in coronavirus patients. Meanwhile, health workers in some Bay Area hospitals are wiping down and reusing masks and other equipment that used to be discarded after each use.
As efforts are underway to ramp up hospital capacity, will health care workers be equipped to help patients?
Click here to listen on KQED’s website.
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