Santa Clara County Reports 17 New Coronavirus Cases, No Deaths

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — The Santa Clara County Public Health Department reported 17 additional cases of the new coronavirus Thursday.

The report brings the countywide total of COVID-19 cases to 2,701.

The county reported no additional coronavirus-related fatalities, leaving its death toll at 140.

There are currently 52 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Santa Clara County, of which 16 are being treated in intensive care units.

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday announced three new cases of COVID-19 coronavirus among inmates at its jails since last weekend.

The first was held in one of the county Main Jail's nine "14-day separation units" established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic while the other two were inmates at the Elmwood Correctional Facility.

Elsewhere in the Bay Area and beyond, Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano was steadfast Wednesday in saying he and his fellow Bay Area health officers will let data and science drive their decisions as to when the next phase of "phased reopening" is appropriate.

The data on new Bay Area COVID-19 cases, he said, has been good, with a "flattened curve" of new cases and area hospitals not nearly overwhelmed with coronavirus patients.

San Francisco supervisors displeased with what they say is the city's slow pace in placing homeless people in hotel rooms amid the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday renewed pleas to Mayor London Breed to speed-up the process.

Last month, the city's Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an emergency ordinance requiring the city to lease 8,250 hotel rooms, with at least 7,000 reserved for the city's homeless.

More than a month later, Breed has still refused to implement the ordinance

There have been 103,606 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,983 coronavirus-related deaths in California as of Thursday afternoon according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The United States had 1,720,613 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 101,573 coronavirus-related fatalities as of Thursday afternoon.

Patch editor Gideon Rubin and Bay City News contributed to this report.

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know