Amid the increasing death toll from COVID-19, it might be difficult to recall the time where Santa Clara County was at the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the United States.
As we continue to live under a shelter-in-place order, it is important to remember that the decisive actions taken by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department in the early stages of the outbreak undoubtedly saved countless lives.
When Dr. Sara Cody of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department first announced the shelter-in-place order on March 16, confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county stood at 138 with four deaths. That same day, cases in Westchester County, a suburb of New York City, totalled 220 with no deaths.
In the weeks and months following the implementation of this shelter-in-place order, COVID-19 has infected over 1.6 million Americans and found its way into nearly every part of the United States. During this time, the number of confirmed cases in Santa Clara has grown to 2,675 with 141 deaths, but the number of confirmed cases in Westchester has grown to 33,107 with 1,469 deaths.
The remarkable foresight displayed by Santa Clara County and counties around the Bay Area in their implementation of the shelter-in-place order weeks before other parts of the country ensured the Bay Area was one of the least affected urban areas in the nation.
The Campanile applauds the willingness of county officials to go to extreme lengths to protect its citizens and while setting the standards for public health guidelines during a pandemic.
Steps taken by Santa Clara County officials to prevent the spread of COVID-19 saved lives and public health officials around the country should look to Bay Area counties as a model for ways to fight COVID-19 and continue to put the lives of its citizens first.
The Campanile also supports the using scientific data to guide the reopening of our county and hopes officials will exercise the same caution as before when rolling out new measures for reopening.
The safety of the public is the number one priority for Santa Clara county, and The Campanile thinks county officials have acted effectively to protect the public in the face of overwhelming adversity. We encourage county officials everywhere in the US to use these actions as a model for how to handle their reaction to the worldwide pandemic.
