Intensive care unit capacity could run out by December 27 if Covid-19 numbers continue to climb as fast as they are now, health officials project.
That is "in just 17 days," the city's health director Dr. Grant Colfax said Wednesday. "And that's if things don't even get worse, but they very well may."
There are 123 Covid-19 patients across San Francisco, Colfax said, a number higher than ever before that shows "no signs of going down." Thirty of those patients are in intensive care units.
This number is climbing, and climbing rapidly. Now, not only by the day, but by the hour," he added.
The city is experiencing by far its worst surge to date, Colfax said, adding the virus was "everywhere in our city right now."
"Even lower-risk activities now carry substantial risk because there's more virus out there than ever before," he said.
The surge has also been fueled by the gatherings that took place over the Thanksgiving holiday. Since then, at least 167 people are testing positive for the virus daily, and the average case rate per 100,000 has skyrocketed since Thanksgiving week -- from 15 to 30.
"The reality is unfortunately proving to be as harsh as we expected," Colfax said.
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