In the 24 hours leading up to Santa Claus County, Santa Clara County set a record 512 COVID-19 cases tall, and wasted no time in cracking down on businesses violating health orders.
As of Nov. 27, there were 32,985 COVID-19 cases and 545 deaths in Santa Clara County. In addition, 222 people were hospitalized with the virus. Of these, 68 were in intensive care units and 193 out of 624 ventilators were in use.
Forcing more patients to be admitted to hospitals has led to an increase in the rate of cases among health officials.
“We’re really, really concerned,” said COVID-19 testing officer Dr. Said Marty Fenstershib. “The metrics we’ve been following have all been good over the previous month. Too high.”
In July, amid previous surges, the county recorded the highest number of cases per single day at 385.
“We don’t want to be in a place where we see the types of challenges in our hospitals that unfortunately faced with some communities in the United States and around the world,” said County Counselor James Williams.
Officials immediately imposed fines on businesses over Thanksgiving weekend for health system violations. The county stripped the county of its grace period to rectify the issues before businesses levied fines and promised to curb them. And he did.
As of noon on Nov. 27, the county had imposed 76 fines on local businesses. The primary violation was the failure to submit and post revised rules about social distance.
A county spokesman said businesses would have 30 days to pay the fine and business compliance officers would never demand money. Officers will be on the yellow vest and generate identities.
Meanwhile, County Los Gatos, Mountain View, Cupertino, Campbell and Palo Alto plan to offer an appointment-only COVID-19 test next week and deliver flu shots at the same time.
Walk-up testing is available in San Jose and Gilroy next week but the flu shot will only be at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose.
There will also be a single test venue at the fairgrounds on May 29th over the weekend of Thanksgiving.
Fenstershib stressed that people who do not have COVID-19 symptoms need to be tested, especially if they are in close contact with family members and co-workers.
“New studies have shown that most infections are caused by people who are unlikely and probably do not know that they are potentially spreading the disease to family, coworkers and even people they come in contact with.” “Even if they don’t feel sick, they need to know they have the virus so they can isolate and break the transmission chain.”
Here’s how to test:
Appointments and walks:
San Jose
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Parking Lot A (beyond the blue arch). Drive-through, bike and walk-up appointments.
Around the street from the main entrance to the grounds, 344 Tully Road.
Appointments December 1 to December 4, 11:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Testing will also be conducted on December 5, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., on the grounds, November 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Appointment only:
Los Gatos
LGS Adult Recreation Center, 208 E. Chief St. .. By appointment only November 30, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mountain view
Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St. By appointment only December 1, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cupertino
Cupertino Senior Center, 21251 Stevens Creek Bloodweed. By appointment only December 2, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Campbell
Orchard City Banquet Hall (in Campbell Community Center), 1 W. Campbell Ave. By appointment only December 3, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Palo Alto
Palo Alto Art Center Itor Detorium, 1313 Newell Road. By appointment only December 4, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Pop-up test sites:
No appointment required and only for people without symptoms. Influenza testing does not include:
San Jose
Emanuel Baptist Church, 467 n. White Road. December 1 – December 4, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Public Health Story Road Hub, 1775 Story Road. Dec. 4, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Gilroy
South County Annex (formerly Del Buનોo Elementary), 9300 Warren Ave. December 1 – December 4, 11 a.m. to 5:30:30 p.m.
Contact Mauricio La Plante [email protected] Or follow @mslaplantenews on Twitter.
