CLICK HERE if you’re having a problem viewing the photos on a mobile device.
The county reported 39 new cases of COVID-19, raising the county’s total number to 302, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Cindy Chavez said in a press conference Sunday afternoon.
The deadly novel coronavirus also has claimed the lives of two more residents, identified only as a woman in her 60s who died Saturday and a woman in her 40s who was hospitalized March 16 and died Saturday, for a total of 10 fatalities. Both women suffered from underlying health conditions.
“The Public Health Department expresses our condolences to the families and friends of the deceased,” the county’s health department said in a statement Sunday.
County officials also announced Sunday that the county’s director of communications and public affairs, María Leticia Gómez, has tested positive for the virus.
Officials said that Gomez became ill on March 13 and has been isolated at home ever since.
The County has instructed all employees, including those who have been in contact with Gómez, that they should not go to work if they show any symptoms of illness.
“It is not unexpected to have employees become ill as the novel coronavirus continues spreading throughout the community,” a statement from the county said. “The county has protocols in place to address this and similar situations involving employees who become ill.”
Health officials from seven Bay Area counties released an order March 16 requiring residents to shelter-in-place at residences unless seeking or providing essential services for at least the next three weeks.
San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties now each tally coronavirus cases in the triple-digits.
The county’s first COVID-19 death, and the state’s second death overall, came March 2.
For more information on COVID-19, visit the county’s page at https://www.sccphd.org/coronavirus.
Check back for updates.
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.