Santa Clara County Community Battles Against COVID-19

From the first reported case of virus infection on Feb 1, 2020, Santa Clara County now has over 265 cases and 8 deaths.   Even with the "shelter-in-place" order, the number of cases is rapidly rising.

People are panicking and hoarding toilet papers, paper towels, masks,  gloves, hand sanitizers, household cleaners, and all kind of dried foods.  And with a large Asian community in the Bay Area, rice is always in short supply.  Store shelves are emptied as fast they can be filled.

But what makes the situation even more dangerous is the hospitals and clinics do not have enough personal protective equipment.  Nurses and doctors at Valley Medical Center and Kaiser Hospital are desperately calling friends and relatives for donations of  N95 masks, surgical masks, hazmat suits and goggles.

All 13 clinics and hospitals in Santa Clara county have not received any new supplies of N95 masks more than a month ago.  The few remaining N95 masks are locked up and only can be released with special permission from top level administrators.  Situations normally required N95 masks are now being replaced by surgery masks.  Yet, these surgery masks are in short supply also.  All nurses in the last two weeks have been ordered to reuse their surgery masks.  They have been asked to spray IPA on the masks to disinfect them for next day wearing.

Last week, Kaiser nurses went to the streets in Fremont and San Francisco and  demonstrated demanding management to take action to provide adequate protection.

On Friday,  Santa Clara County Supervisors Cindy Chavez and Dave Cortese  sent emails to their constituents and held a press conference along with San Jose City Mayor Sam Liccardo pleading for public donations.  Assemblyman Ash Kalra also issued a statement asking the public to not hoard medical supplies. 

The majority of healthcare workers are very concerned about the resources that they will have to fight the virus pandemic.  The hospital administration in the area is planning for the estimate  that  25% of their work force will be wiped out in the next 4 weeks from either being sick as the result of not having enough protective equipment or to stay home to take care of the loved ones.


The good news is that the public has rapidly responded to the urgency.

Silicon Valley Leadership Group is spearheading  a donation drive which has so far within 24 hours gathered over 1650,000 surgical masks, 2,000 hazmat suits, 4,000 pairs of gloves, and 1,200 respirators.  Moreover, $600,000 has been raised.

Supervisor Dave Cortese's office received donation of 200 plus masks from a civil engineering company.   Donation of over 2,000 surgical masks was reported by the office of  Assemblyman Ash Kalra.

At a more local level,  community based organizations like Friends of Hue Foundation, led by the local activist and lawyer Jenny Do, are also asking for donations from PPE to food.  The foundation has volunteers to help with food delivery to those who are most vulnerable.   A good samaritan offers a small warehouse to help storage and distribution of food.

They are distributing N95 masks to Kaiser nurses (about 200 so far).  This N95 mask is  crucial in dealing with COVID-19 since they are designed to filter out the viral particles which surgical mask cannot do.

Some of the money donated are being requested to buy food for the healthcare workers, who are at the front line to treat patients of this deadly epidemic.  They also just received 40,000 pairs of gloves and other donations are rolling in.

FHF has a trained CERT team.  They are trained and certified by San Jose City Office of Emergency Management.  The 31 member team are ready to assist the community in time of crisis.  CERT is an acronym for community emergency response team and is designated to be community based volunteers to support the city / county emergency operation.

San Jose City has Silicon Valley Strong website that provide many important information and resources to cope with the crisis.   Valley Medical Center Foundation is taking PPE donations to distribute all the hospitals and clinics in the Bay Area.

During this unprecedented crisis, we are seeing the community pulling together and showing the spirit of human kindness.

For those who would like to donate, help or need assistance, please contact Friends of Hue Foundation at 408-755-5189 or jennydo@friendsofhue.org

Also, the website has some valuable information about available resources:

https://friendsofhue.org/

Price Gouging in California

From Attorney General of California

State of Emergency has been declared statewide due to Coronavirus.

Californians are protected from illegal price gouging on housing, gas, food, and other essential supplies.

Anyone who has been the victim of price gouging, or who has information regarding potential price gouging, should file a complaint at

http://oag.ca.gov/…/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-… 

or call (800) 952-5225, 

or contact their local police department or sheriff’s office.

Tweny Cases of Corona Virus in Santa Clara County

Dear Community,

The County’s Health Officer, Dr. Sara Cody, announced on Thursday, March 5, that 20 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Santa Clara County. And we are likely to see more.

To protect the health of the community and stop the spread of the virus, the Public Health Department is recommending postponing or canceling mass gatherings and large community events where large numbers of people are within arm’s length of one another.  When large gatherings can’t be avoided, anyone who is sick or in a vulnerable category should not attend.

Contact me:

Supervisor Dave Cortese
70 W. Hedding St., 10th floor
San Jose, CA 95110
(408) 299-5030
dave.cortese@bos.sccgov.org
www.supervisorcortese.org

Employers are asked to cancel large conferences, suspend travel and be flexible with sick leave policies. It is not recommended at this time that schools close.

Earlier this week, Dr. Cody provided new guidelines to protect people who are at a higher risk of serious illness from the virus.  Beginning at age 50, the risk increases with age, with the highest risk to those age 80 and over. The risk is also higher for those with such medical issues as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer or chronic lung conditions. 

We should take these guidelines seriously, but we should avoid panicking and hoarding supplies.  I’d like to remind you that, besides the media, the County has a webpage dedicated to information about COVID-19, including updates, how to protect yourself and your families, who is most vulnerable and a number to call if you have questions.

You can also call my office at 408-299-5030 or email me at dave.cortese@bos.sccgov.org.

Stay Healthy!

Dave Cortese
County Supervisor, Third District

Expect A Low Voter Turnout in California

Despite the new changes to allow more time and access for people to vote, and the early March primary so that voters can have more impact on the presidential primary, the early voter turnout so far has been disappointing. 

State wide, the return of absentee ballots is only 23%, with Republic voters edging out Democrat voters by 33% to 23%.   In Santa Clara County, the early voter turnout is 20%.   Orange County has similar rate.  In the past, 80% of ballots cast by mail.  Thus, this election is projected to have 30% to 35% turnout similar to the 2012 presidential primary.  In comparison, the 2016 presidential primary, the turnout was 50% to 55%.  

This year, every register voter automatically receives an absentee ballot that they can mail in without paying postage,  drop off at any centralized ballot centers or drop boxes.   And with the presidential primary moves to March instead of June, the voters have a bigger impact in deciding the presidential candidates for the November general election.

The low turnout will affect the Democratic primary race.  It  could mean Bernie Sanders' double digit lead in the poll might not hold up.  The turnout is particular low with Hispanic voters.   And the trend of young voters (18-25) is as expected, a lot of enthusiasm but does not translate to going to the poll.

Corona Virus and Santa Clara County

Dear Community,

Santa Clara County’s Public Health Officer, Dr. Sarah Cody, announced on Friday, February 28, that a third case of the COVID-19 has been confirmed in the County, and most significantly, that it is not related to the other two cases reported  earlier.

This means that the third case, an older adult woman, had no known exposure to the virus through travel or close contact with a known infected individual. This case is important because it signals that now is the time to change course and prepare for the possibility of widespread community transmission

Contact me:

Supervisor Dave Cortese
70 W. Hedding St., 10th floor
San Jose, CA 95110
(408) 299-5030
dave.cortese@bos.sccgov.org
www.supervisorcortese.org

The individual in the third case is a woman with chronic health conditions who was hospitalized for a respiratory illness. The County Public Health Laboratory performed tests on Thursday, confirming the virus, and the department has been working to identify any contacts she may have had with others.

The County will continue to use the methods it has taken so far when a case is confirmed -- isolation, quarantine, contract tracing and travel restrictions. These are known to help slow the spread of the disease.  Also, the County Health Laboratory can now run tests for the virus.

There are things we as individuals can do, as well:

• Keep your hands clean, always cover your cough and stay home when you are sick.
• Start working on not touching your face because viruses spread when you touch your own mouth, nose or eyes.
• Since we know the disease is here, stay away from people who are sick.
• Start thinking about family preparedness, for example, a room to isolate a sick person.

In the community settings:

• Schools should plan for absenteeism and explore options for tele-learning. Also, keep surfaces clean.
• Businesses, whenever possible, should replace in-person meetings with video or telephone conferences, increase teleworking options and permit workers to stay home if they are sick.

The Public Health Department is working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other partners to keep informed as the new coronavirus situation changes.  The Department has also dedicated a Public Health web page to keep us informed with daily updates, along with providing a FAQ in four languages. 

If you have questions, please call the Public Health Department at 408-885-4214 or my office at 408-299-5030. You can email me at dave.cortese@bos.sccgov.org.

Sincerely,

Dave Cortese
County Supervisor, Third District

Excercise Your Civic Right - Vote to Make A Difference

An excerpt of an open letter by Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese urging voters to vote -

With only four days left until election day, March 3rd, I want to urge you to vote. Exercising your civic right and making your voice heard strengthens and empowers our community.  

With the Voter's Choice Act, voting is as easy and accessible as ever. All registered voters in the county should have received their ballot in the mail. Return postage is free, and 24-hour ballot drop-off boxes are available now through election day.

You can also vote in person at vote centers, many of which are open now. Additional voter centers will be open starting tomorrow, February 29th.

You can find the voter center or ballot drop-off location closest to you here.

With so many issues affecting our community, every vote is critical. Your voice truly matters.

Gratefully,

Dave Cortese

Santa Clara County Supervisor

Fight Corona Virus as It Spreads to Bay Area

One case has been confirmed in Santa Clara County.  Statement by County Supervisor Dave Cortese:

.....The patient, an adult male who returned from China on January 24, is self-isolated at his home. He was never ill enough to be hospitalized and left home only for outpatient care.  Dr. Cody and the Public Health Department are working to identify anyone that the man might have been in contact with and are following up with them.....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYTzX9JCbDY