Gov. Newsom, S.J. Mayor Praise State Businesses' Cooperation in Coronavirus Battle
SUNNYVALE (CBS SF/AP) -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo toured a Sunnyvale fuel cell manufacturer where hundreds of older ventilators are being refurbished as part of the statewide battle to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
After touring the operation at Bloom Energy Saturday afternoon, the governor and the mayor addressed the media and revealed some eye-opening new statistics regarding the rapid growth of the coronavirus in the state.
Gov. Newsom announced that 410 people are now in state intensive care units -- a near-doubling in 24 hours. The governor didn't say whether those were all COVID-19 patients. He also said the number of people hospitalized with the novel coronavirus has increased almost 40 percent in that same time frame, from 746 people Friday to 1,034 Saturday.
California could see conditions similar to New York, "if we stop practicing physical distancing ... if we pull back form our stay-at-home policy ... if we go back to our normal routines without bending the curve," Newsom said.
Bloom Energy officials said the company is refurbishing several hundred ventilators from the California's emergency supply. Bloom has already delivered 80 ventilators to the state with another 120 expected to be finished Saturday and delivered to hospitals around the state.
Newsom also praised the cooperation from numerous California businesses in the battle against the pandemic, mentioning apparel companies making masks and beverage companies making hand sanitizer.
© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report
