COVID: Santa Clara County Facing Steepest Surge With Only 50 ICU Beds Left
SAN JOSE (KPIX) – Health officials in Santa Clara County says it is facing the steepest, greatest surge yet. They are urging residents to stay at home and avoid anything that is not essential.
Just as the county entered its first day of a stay-at-home shutdown, it also broke a new record -- 1,450 new cases of COVID. That's double the single day record set just last week.
Outdoor dining spaces sat empty and the streets in Willow Glen were eerily quiet Monday night.
It was the same story over at San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose.
This latest surge is stretching hospital staff dangerously thin.
"As of today, we have 50 ICU beds remaining in our county, that's 50 beds for a county of 2 million people to care not just for COVID, but to care for everyone," said COVID-19 Director of Health Care Preparedness Dr. Ahmad Kamal
Dr. Kamal is asking the community to redouble its efforts.
"We need to wash our hands, we need to distance, we need to wear masks, this is the only way that we're going to get through this," he added.
The county said limited doses of the Pfizer vaccine may arrive by December 15. Once approved, healthcare workers and residents in long-term care facilities will be the first in line to get the vaccine.
"As we start to give vaccinations, that does not mean we should not be as diligent and vigilant about our prevention measures," said the county's COVID-19 Testing Officer Dr. Marty Fenstersheib.
He said the rollout of the vaccines will be gradual and could take until summer of next year to complete.
