Sinking capacity in Bay Area intensive care units will force many San Mateo County businesses to shutter or substantially reduce operations by Friday despite assertions from health officials that the recent spike in COVID-19 cases has been linked to large private gatherings.Â
The announcement San Mateo County was placed under the stateâs regional stay-home order came Wednesday as the Bay Areaâs ICU capacity fell below 15% to 12.9%. As of Tuesday, the county reported having nine available ICU beds and 88 surge ICU beds as hospitalizations rose to 110 patients, 29 needing intensive care.Â
âThe capacity is too strained for us to have any other alternatives than the stay-at-home order,â said Deputy Chief of Health Srija Srinivasan during a press briefing Wednesday. âThis is not about blame. This is about understanding that weâre at the point on this day in which we just have to get through in a different way with everyone staying home as much as poss