Calif. National Guard helps set up field hospital

California continues to expand the number of hospital beds available during the new coronavirus pandemic by creating a field hospital at the Santa Clara Convention Center in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Members of the California Air National Guard helped set up cots and other equipment.

The convention center will hold 250 beds. Other field hospitals are being set up elsewhere in the state.

Anticipating a surge in COVID-19 cases this week that may overwhelm healthcare systems, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti urged people who test positive for the coronavirus not to rush to hospitals unless they have serious symptoms.

Instead, he asked the city's 4 million residents to think about how they will separate themselves from family members while quarantining at home.

The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.