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Gov. Gavin Newsom announces new task force to help increase COVID-19 testing, medical supplies

By Kelli Johnson
Updated  April 4, 2020 2:17pm PDT
Coronavirus in California
FOX 11

State ramping up COVID-19 testing sites

As the number of deaths and cases soar across the country, so are the calls for more test kits, more testing sites.

Governor Gavin Newsom Saturday announced he has created a new task force to help increase the number of available coronavirus tests and medical supplies in California.

WATCH SATURDAY'S COVID-19 BRIEFING 

As of Saturday, Newsom said 126,700 California residents have been able to test for the virus, a number which he considers "low," and is something the governor takes full responsibility for. 

"It's a new day and we are turning our old way on our approach," he said. 

As of Saturday, Newsom said 12,026 Californians have tested positive for the coronavirus, which is a 12.4% increase from Friday. Of those, 2,300 were hospitalized and 1,008 patients were in ICU.

Newsom revealed 79,000 healthcare professionals have signed up to help fight COVID-19 in the Golden State on California Health Corps, a newly launched website. 

In addition, there is now a new website dedicated to getting more medical supplies to the state. 

He also announced a new partnership with UC Davis and UC San Diego that would create between 5 and 7 hubs to increase the state's testing capacity. The hubs will be geographically based up and down the state, he said. 

Stanford Medicine has developed homegrown tests, which will be rolled out within the next few weeks and used exclusively in California, Newsom said. 

Dr. Charity Dean, the Assistant Director of the California Department of Health and the co-chair of the state's newly developed task force said she hopes to "harness the state's innovative spirit." She also stated there are many experts at data centers working hard to make innovative solutions and that the task force is working to tackle issues on the supply chain. 

The task force is also co-chaired by Paul Markovich, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Shield of California. 

So far, 41.2 million masks have been delivered to healthcare workers in the state. Newsom said his goal is to provide hundreds of millions of N95 masks throughout the course of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Newsom also said the new initiative brings more point of care centers and testing lab sites, which includes 13 hospital systems, including Kaiser. 

President Donald Trump met with multiple leaders of professional sports leagues Saturday. When asked about the possibility of major sporting events returning to California, Newsom said he does not anticipate seeing that happening within the next few months. 

Newsom said his priorities are "immediate," and doesn't expect the NFL season starting on time in the Golden State. 

RELATED: CoronavirusNOW.com, FOX launches national hub for COVID-19 news and updates. 

What is coronavirus?

From how it spreads to where it originated, here's a look at everything you need to know about the deadly contagion.

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