Nearly 9,000 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Orange County, California, during the past few days, including 25 deaths.
The Orange County Health Care Agency reported 8,990 new positive tests between Jan. 2 and Jan. 4 at 12 p.m. It says 500 patients are currently in the intensive care unit (ICU).
As the COVID-19 surge continues and patients fill Orange County hospitals, officials and hospital staff are asking for help from county residents.
“As is the case with hospitals across our county and the entire country, we are seeing a tremendous increase in COVID patients and hospital occupancy,” Debra Culver, MemorialCare Orange County hospitals spokesperson, told The Epoch Times by email.
“We urge our community to consistently follow spread-prevention measures by wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing, washing hands frequently and avoiding social gatherings.”
In order to combat fatigue for its hospital workers, MemorialCare offers a wealth of free resources for staff to help enable their emotional, spiritual and physical well-being, Culver said.
“Included are confidential, peer-to-peer support sessions called RISE—Resilience in Stressful Events, spiritual care support,” Culver said. “The Good Life program [is] offering wellness, healthy eating and exercise offerings, as well as SilverCloud, a free online educational and therapeutic program to help manage anxiety, depression, resilience and trouble sleeping.”
Despite reports of surging hospitalizations as the result of COVID-19, Culver told The Epoch Times that incoming patients should not be concerned about receiving treatment.
“We are prepared to safely treat and care for all patients, including those infected with COVID-19,” Culver said. “The situation is fluid and changes by the hour. We continue to implement contingency plans developed over the past many months to create additional isolation areas and have secured additional resources to enable us to care for even more patients should the surge continue to climb in the coming weeks.”
