This photo from the California Office of Emergency Services (OES) shows hospital beds set up in the practice facility at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, Calif., that is ready to receive patients as needed on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. The practice facility currently has 66 beds. The total bed count between the practice facility and arena, which could be made available for patients at a later date, is over 240. A health official in California’s third largest county is urging hospitals to cancel elective surgeries and implement plans for an onslaught of COVID-19 patients, as intensive care units fill up statewide amid spiking virus cases. Dr. Carl Schultz says ambulances have been waiting for hours to unload patients because Orange County emergency rooms are so backed up. He urged hospitals to begin expanding capacity immediately. California’s hospitalizations already are at record levels, leaving less than 1,500 of the 7,800 total ICU beds available. (California OES via AP, File)