Tuesday: The state hopes to add scores of additional health care workers as hospitals fill. Also: Easy California history lessons.

By Jill Cowan

Good morning.

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In talking about California’s response to the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Gavin Newsom has been unequivocal: The state needs more hospital capacity — and lots of it.

Mr. Newsom has said that the state needs to add 50,000 beds to get ahead of the expected surge of patients.

On Monday, he said, that surge is materializing: The number of people who have been hospitalized with the coronavirus has increased over the last four days to 1,432 from 746, and the number of patients in intensive care has tripled to nearly 600 in that time.

The state has been able to add places to care for patients, including aboard a 1,000-bed Navy hospital ship, which arrived at the Port of Los Angeles from San Diego on Friday, and at convention centers around the state.

But none of that does much good without front-line workers — doctors, nurses, paramedics, psychologists, pharmacists and dentists — who have the skills to care for patients.

“It requires people,” Mr. Newsom said.

So, he announced a new initiative aimed at tapping a pool of some 37,000 retired or part-time health care professionals to help the thousands already working through the crisis.

[Read the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic around the world.]

Here’s what to know about the new effort, the California Health Corps:

Wait — is the governor saying that 37,000 health care professionals will just be sent back into the work force?

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