As California struggles with an overwhelming surge of COVID-19 cases, 75 military medical personnel are being deployed across four of the state's hospitals, according to a Dec. 28 news release from U.S. Army North, the Joint Force Land Component Command of U.S. Northern Command.
The hospitals receiving support are Stockton-based Dameron Hospital, Adventist Health Lodi Memorial Hospital, Colton-based Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and Fresno-based Community Regional Medical Center.
Of the 75 healthcare personnel being deployed, 65 are from the U.S. Air Force, while 10 are U.S. Army nurses.
As of Dec. 28, 20,642 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in California — the highest in the country, according to The Atlantic's COVID-19 Tracking Project. The state also reported 68,811 new cases Dec. 29, another record high, though the number includes backlogs from the holiday weekend, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Additionally, there are 100 military medical personnel helping treat COVID-19 patients across North Dakota, Wisconsin and in the Navajo Nation, according to the news release.