SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California's massive coronavirus outbreak is taking a toll both on hospitals and those who staff them.
Nurses at one hospital in the city of Orange say they are seeing a couple of deaths daily in the COVID-19 wards. Donna Rottschafer, a nurse at St. Joseph Hospital, says she has seen more people die in recent weeks than in decades of nursing.
California on Thursday reported 583 new deaths. There have been more than 28,000 deaths in the state since the start of the pandemic.
Hospitals in many areas have no more ICU beds available for COVID-19 patients.
Officials say they are worried that holiday gatherings could swell the hospital population further in the next few weeks.