This weekend marked one year since the first known U.S. death from COVID-19.
The very first American known to have died from COVID-19 was San Jose resident Patricia Dowd. She died on February 6, 2020.
Now, the one-year anniversary of that loss is not something San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo wanted to let pass unacknowledged.
"Nobody suspected or knew at the time when we lost Patricia that the toll would be so severe," he told KCBS Radio. "But, I hope that this is a commemoration that emboldens us, that strengthens us to come together at a very difficult time."
In Santa Clara County alone, 1,500 residents have died from the virus.
Nationally, the death toll from COVID-19 is over 460,000.
But even in the face of all that loss, Liccardo said he sees signs of resilience and hope.
"Recognizing that the pandemic has really expose an awful lot that has been wrong with our community - the great divides economically, racially, in so many other ways - I think we’ve got a real conviction today that we can recreate something that is even stronger than what existed before," the mayor noted.
