California state needs 50,000 more hospital beds: Governor

California's governor said on Monday that the state would likely need 50,000 more hospital beds to accommodate a surge in coronavirus patients predicted by computer modeling.

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Governor Gavin Newsom, speaking at a news conference, said the California hospital system could make emergency adjustments to provide up to 30,000 of those beds but that another 20,000 would be required if predictions of the course of the illness prove true.

"We're identifying convention facilities, fairgrounds. We're identifying specific assets throughout the state, including motels and hotels, not just for the homeless, but potentially to provide capacity," Newsom said.

Governor Gavin Newsom issued a stay at home order for Californians to slow the spread of the coronavirus. AFP

The U.S. Navy hospital ship Mercy departed San Diego on Monday and was expected to dock in Los Angeles in about a week, providing 1,000 beds, according to a spokesman for the US Department of Defence.

California, the nation's most populous state, has been hard hit by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 1,700 confirmed cases and 27 deaths. Those Navy ship beds will be used to treat patients not infected with COVID-19, the Defense Department has said, easing the strain on hospitals.

There have been more than 40,000 coronavirus cases nationwide, with more than 500 deaths.