TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic tightens its grip on California, the American state is considering calling in medical assistance from countries like Taiwan and Australia, reports said Tuesday (Dec. 22).

Officials on the west coast of the United States estimate that 100,000 citizens might have to be hospitalized as the infections expand during the Christmas period.

Battling a shortage of medical staff to respond to the inflow of patients, California is likely to ask other countries like Taiwan for assistance, the Liberty Times reported. Governor Gavin Newsom pointed out that several of those countries had provided assistance during extensive forest fires in his state.

Hospitals already prioritize care for the gravest cases of coronavirus infections, while seeking alternative options for the less affected patients. Nursing staff over the age of 60 often stop working out of concern for their own relatives, adding to the shortage of qualified personnel, reports said.