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South Sacramento Kaiser hospital to provide temporary surge bedding for non-COVID patients

The state will assist with staffing these units.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento will offer temporary bedding for non-COVID patients as the state continues to battle the current Omicron surge. 

According to a press release from Kaiser, the hospital has setup 56 beds in "temporary surge units" for patients in the Sacramento region. The state will assist with staffing these units.

During Thursday's weekly update, Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said nearly 43% of recent COVID-19 tests taken in the county have come back positive. The 7-day average case rate for Sacramento County, as of Friday, Jan. 14, is 201 per 100,000.

Because of the Omicron surge, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office announced over 200 inmate from the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center (RCCC) and the Sacramento County Main Jail are being released. There are 76 positive cases at the jail and 48 at the RCCC. Health staff are trying to pinpoint the source and mitigate the spread.

“The transmission we are seeing in the jails mimics what we are seeing in the community,” said Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye in a news release. “This Omicron variant is very contagious and easily spread from person to person.”

Health officials said the confirmed cases are from intake quarantine, inmate workers, and close contact testing.

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