Los Angeles hospital to reopen for coronavirus patients

Officials are offering a first look inside a coronavirus "surge" hospital in Los Angeles. Workers were painting walls and preparing medical equipment on Thursday at St. Vincent Medical Center.

The hospital near downtown is reopening next Monday under a state initiative to add beds for COVID-19 patients.

The hospital had closed in January after its former owner declared bankruptcy.

Los Angeles County officials said it will operate as a referral hospital with no emergency room and will not accept walk-in patients.

St. Vincent is opening in phases and will ramp up a maximum capacity of 266 beds.

The state is funding the hospital and providing equipment.

Two weeks ago, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said his city was just six to 12 days away from the kind of crushing surge afflicting New York City.

He told The Associated Press on Monday he expects to see a peak in the number of fatalities in two to five weeks.

He said data shows the number of cases in Los Angeles County, the nation's most populous with about 10 million residents, continues to increase but at a slower rate.

Two weeks ago, the number was climbing at an average of 27% a day, while last week it dipped to 18%.

Garcetti said with testing ramping up across the county, as of Monday anyone can apply to be screened for the virus, not just those showing symptoms or considered high risk.

California has more than 18,800 COVID-19 cases and has recorded more than 490 deaths, according to data complied by Johns Hopkins University.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is sticking with a mid-May projection for when the COVID-19 outbreak will reach its peak in California, continuing efforts to stockpile hospital beds and protective gear for health care workers even as a new analysis suggests the virus' spread could be slowing sooner.

While confirmed cases and deaths continue rising in California, the rate of hospitalizations and intensive-care placements - a key indicator of resources the state needs - have been increasing more slowly.

Both rose less than 5% over the weekend. It was enough that Newsom felt comfortable loaning 500 ventilators to other states.

The coronavirus is spread by coughs and sneezes and for most people it causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.