Major Bob Baca, left, leads a meeting Friday with Oregon National Guard members at the Bend National Guard Armory prior to being deployed to St. Charles Bend, where they will assist as the coronavirus surges.

Some 1,200 Oregon National Guard members reported for duty Friday morning to be deployed to 40 hospitals statewide to help understaffed facilities, including St. Charles Bend.

The guard members will serve in nonclinical roles: stocking, cleaning, cooking and helping with COVID-19 testing.

Gov. Kate Brown ordered the Guard deployed on Wednesday as the COVID-19 omicron variant surged, overwhelming some hospitals.

“Fueled by the Omicron variant, current hospitalizations are over 700 and daily COVID-19 case counts are alarmingly high,” she said on Twitter, thanking Guard members, their families and their employers for this sacrifice and support.

“As they step up yet again, I am asking all Oregonians to continue to do your part. Get vaccinated, get boosted, wear your masks, and stay home when you are sick,” Brown said.