Santa Clara County Reports 407 New Coronavirus Cases, 4 Deaths

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — The Santa Clara County Public Health Department reported 407 additional coronavirus cases Friday.

The latest report brings the countywide case count to 30,025.

The county reported four additional coronavirus-related fatalities Friday, bringing its COVID-19 death toll to 463.

There were 166 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Santa Clara County as of Friday, of which 50 were being treated in intensive care units.

Elsewhere around the Bay Area and beyond, although San Francisco remains in the yellow tier on California's COVID-19 reopening system, the city's Department of Public Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax said Friday as cases citywide continue to increase, he expects the city to reach the purple tier -- the most restrictive tier -- by Sunday.

Colfax's announcement comes just a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a month-long stay-home order, requiring non-essential work and gatherings to cease from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in counties assigned to the purple tier.

So far, 41 counties are in the purple tier, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.

The order is set to begin Saturday and will last through Dec. 21. "This surge is more widespread and serious than ever before," Colfax said during a virtual briefing.

On Monday, Colfax said the latest surge of the virus marks the city's third since the pandemic began in March, with the city currently seeing the number average cases daily jump from 29 to 97 since last month.

Although just last week, the city was in the yellow tier last week, it moved the red tier Monday. As a result, so far, the city has rolled back the reopening of non-essential offices and indoor dining at restaurants and bars with food.

Additionally, capacity at indoor gyms and indoor movie theaters have been reduced to 25 percent.
Plans to open high schools have also been put on hold.

If the city does move into the purple tier by Sunday, Colfax said the state would then give the city guidance on when the potential curfew and new rollbacks would take effect.

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There have been 1,089,750 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 18,635 coronavirus-related deaths in California as of Friday night according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The United States had 11,908,395 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 254,383 coronavirus-related fatalities as of Friday night.

There have been 57,495,606 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,371,241 deaths reported globally as of Friday night.

— Bay City News contributed to this report