Santa Clara County Reports 159 New Coronavirus Cases, 4 Deaths

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — The Santa Clara County Public Health Department reported 159 additional coronavirus cases Wednesday.

The latest report brings the countywide case count to 27,124.

The county reported four additional coronavirus-related fatalities Wednesday, bringing its COVID-19 death toll to 440.

There were 106 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Santa Clara County as of Wednesday, of which 25 were being treated in intensive care units.

Elsewhere in the Bay Area and beyond, health officials in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, San Francisco Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Sonoma counties and the city of Berkeley jointly issued guidelines this week for the holiday season, advising residents to keep gatherings short and small to prevent spreading the coronavirus.

Gatherings are encouraged to be held outdoors and limited to three households or fewer for two hours, at most.

People with symptoms or the coronavirus should not attend holiday gatherings.

If symptoms develop after a gathering, all guests should be notified and tested for the virus.

"When people who live in different houses or apartments are together at the same time in the same space, risk of COVID-19 spreading goes up, even when the people are relatives or friends," Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano said.

When possible, residents are encouraged to gather for the holidays virtually and deliver meals to family and friends rather than holding traditional holiday dinners.

People are also encouraged to participate in holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah by decorating their houses, attending holiday events outdoors and watching holiday movies at one of the Bay Area's drive-in movie theaters.

"Please celebrate safely this year and protect yourself and your family by including masks, keeping a distance and staying outdoors," Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said.

The full list of holiday recommendations for the 10 counties can be found here.

As San Francisco Unified School District prepares to reopen some of its schools starting in January for in-person learning, Superintendent Vincent Matthews announced Wednesday plans to provide COVID-19 testing for staff.

Under a new agreement, biotechnology company Curative Inc. will provide testing to school staff, helping identify any staff member who may be asymptomatic, in order to limit the spread of the virus.

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There have been 995,474 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 18,108 coronavirus-related deaths in California as of Wednesday night according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The United States had 10,392,702 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 241,047 coronavirus-related fatalities as of Wednesday night.

There have been 52,041,515 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,282,184 deaths reported globally as of Wednesday night.

— Bay City News contributed to this report