Santa Clara County Reports 751 New Coronavirus Cases, No Deaths

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — The Santa Clara County Public Health Department reported 751 additional coronavirus cases Monday.

The latest report covers a two-day period going back to Saturday and brings the countywide COVID-19 case count to 12,694.

Because of two separate issues with the State’s CalREDIE data reporting system, the number of COVID-19 cases and related data in Santa Clara County has been underreported for the last few weeks, county officials said.

The state is in the process of providing the backlogged data to counties statewide, and county officials said they had been expecting a large number of cases to be reported Monday and possibly over the next few days.

The county's most report on Monday includes a combination of positive tests from as far back as July 8 but most are from the last week, county officials said.

The county said it is currently analyzing the newly-received data, any remaining gaps, and what it tells us about the course of the pandemic in the county.

The county reported 468 new coronavirus cases on Saturday. It has reported 1,219 new cases since Friday.

The county reported no additional coronavirus-related fatalities Monday, leaving the countywide COVID-19 death toll at 205.

Elsewhere around the Bay Area and beyond, a 55-year-old San Quentin State Prison guard has become the first employee at that facility to die amid a COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak at the prison, state officials said.

Sgt. Gilbert Polanco died Sunday morning, the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Sunday in a statement. Polanco had been in a San Jose hospital for more than a month.

"Sgt. Gilbert Polanco is an example of the best of CDCR and his passing deeply saddens us all. His dedication to public service will not be forgotten," CDCR Secretary Ralph Diaz said Sunday in a statement.

Added acting San Quentin Warden Ron Broomfield, "Our hearts are broken as we awaken to the news of the passing of our beloved Sergeant, colleague, and friend. Sgt. Gilbert Polanco demonstrated unwavering commitment and bravery as a peace officer working the frontline every day during this devastating pandemic."

As of Friday, 2,226 San Quentin inmates had tested positive for COVID-19. Polanco's death was the first employee there to die.

Also on Sunday, CDCR officials said that 58-year-old Pedro Arias, on San Quentin's death row since 1990, died Sunday at an outside hospital from what appears to be complications related to the COVID-19 coronavirus.

He was the 24th San Quentin prisoner to die from the coronavirus.

Santa Cruz County and the University of California at Santa Cruz have announced a partnership to expand the county's COVID-19 coronavirus testing and analysis capacity.

Using $805,000 in funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, UCSC's Molecular Diagnostic Lab acquired additional testing analysis equipment like robotic liquid handling platforms and a PCR system that will allow local testing capacity to reach up to 800 tests per day.

The Molecular Diagnostic Lab is increasingly one of the most popular testing locations for local health organizations, according to county officials. The lab has generally been able to return test results in 24 to 48 hours.

It will take several weeks for the lab to have the new testing equipment fully operational, according to the county. Testing capacity is expected to increase over the course of several months.

Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, D-Walnut Creek, will host a virtual town hall to discuss coronavirus and the economy at 3:30 p.m. Monday.

His guest will be Jesse Rothstein, professor of public policy and economics at the University of California at Berkeley and a former senior economist at the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers and chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor.

The one-hour town hall is open to the public and participants will be able to ask questions about the effects of COVID-19 on jobs, savings, and the economy.

DeSaulnier will also provide an update on the latest coronavirus relief negotiations.

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There were 177 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Santa Clara County as of Monday, of which 53 were being treated in intensive care units.

There have been 566,952 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 10,416 coronavirus-related deaths in California as of Monday afternoon according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The United States had 4,085,821 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 163,370 coronavirus-related fatalities as of Monday afternoon.

There have been 20,001,019 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 733,897 deaths reported globally as of Monday afternoon.

— Bay City News contributed to this report

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know

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