SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California could see hospitalizations for coronavirus triple by Christmas and is considering stay-home orders for areas with the highest case rates to try to prevent hospitals from getting overwhelmed.

Gov. Gavin Newsom warned Monday that without more restrictions or changes in behavior, the number of coronavirus patients could double or triple in a month.

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Hospitalizations have increased 89% over the past 14 days and right now nearly 7,800 patients are hospitalized. But the biggest concern is intensive care cases, which increased 67% in the past two weeks. About 12% of Californians testing positive are likely to need hospital care within the next two to three weeks.

If that continues, it would push ICU beds to 112% of capacity by mid-December. The state’s top health official says ICU capacity will be the primary trigger as state officials consider more restrictions.

California COVID-19, By The Numbers:

🔹 Confirmed cases to date: 1,212,968
🔹 Note: Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed

More information at https://t.co/TLLUGx7imH. pic.twitter.com/H0BHXgza1z

— CA Public Health (@CAPublicHealth) November 30, 2020