In the months since the pandemic began, COVID-19 has taken a tremendous toll on hospitals, where bedspace is at a minimum and staff are overworked , and prisons, where tight living quarters and mixed enforcement of safety precautions have left incarcerated people vulnerable to soaring infections . But the virus is also wreaking havoc in facilities that fall somewhere in between, known as state hospitals . In California’s six state hospitals, where convicted felons serve additional time after finishing their court sentences, a recent surge has led to nearly 1,600 cases and at least 42 deaths among patients and another 1,700 cases among employees. This week’s COVID-19 update sheds light on the pandemic experience within these facilities, featuring excerpts from interviews with Coalinga State Hospital patients Andrew Warren, James Hydrick and Gary Gillispie. Meanwhile, here’s a snapshot for Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, and Tulare Counties (note that some numbers may have
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