In yet another sobering milestone during the COVID-19 crisis, Santa Clara County has surpassed 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths amid a surge that continues to overwhelm hospitals.
"Our hearts go out to everyone in our community who has lost a loved one due to COVID-19," said Dr. Sara Cody, Health Officer and Director of Public Health for the County of Santa Clara. "One thousand deaths is a devastating and tragic milestone for our community. We mourn each life lost, and our goal continues to be to save as many lives as possible."
As of Wednesday, only five percent of ICU beds were available in the county.
Almost half of the ICU beds in use were occupied by COVID-19 patients.
"The harsh reality is that COVID-19 continues to be extremely widespread in our county and throughout the state," Dr. Cody said. "Even though we’ve all been sacrificing for almost a year to fight this virus, prevent infections, and return to our normal lives, we must remain vigilant or we will see more deaths and extreme challenges for our hospitals and healthcare systems."
Just Wednesday, the state’s Department of Public Health announced that all Californians 65 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
However, many counties say they don’t have enough doses to begin administering shots to that group.
Officials in Santa Clara County said "it will take many months to reach a high level of coverage and protection throughout the community.”
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