Coronavirus Pandemic: San Francisco mayor says city will need 5,000 more hospital beds, 1,500 ventilators

ByLiz Kreutz KGO logo

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

SF mayor says city will need 5,000 more hospital beds, 1,500 ventilators

San Francisco Mayor London Breed says that the city is bracing for a surge of people needing hospitalization in the coming week.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Wednesday announced that the city is bracing for a surge of people needing hospitalization in the coming week, saying the "numbers are going to get worse."

Breed said the city estimates it will need 5,000 more hospital beds on top of what the city already has, as well as at least 1,500 more ventilators.

"We estimate that we will need more. It's not even a question as to whether or not we'll need more," Breed said during a press conference. "We definitely will need more."

According to San Francisco's Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax, the city is preparing for the surge in new patients in many ways, including opening a new floor just for coronavirus patients at St. Francis Memorial Hospital. The floor will open in early April.

Dr. Colfax warned that if people don't heed orders to stay at home, San Francisco could see a similar situation to what is happening in New York City.

"It is plausible that despite all these efforts we could have a scenario similar to one that is playing out in New York this very day," he said. "If that happens our capacity, our surge capacity will be far exceeded."

CORONAVIRUS MAP: Updated number of COVID-19 cases, deaths in San Francisco Bay Area

"In that scenario we will require federal and state assistance," he added. "We cannot manage that alone."

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