SC Co. To SJ On Grim Coronavirus Death Toll Estimate: Not So Fast

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA – A day after a San Jose official offered grim projections of the rising death toll from the new coronavirus, Santa Clara County appeared to pour a bucket of cold water on Deputy City Manager Kip Harkness’ assertions.

Harkness said at a city council meeting Wednesday that in the rosiest of scenarios, COVID-19 would snuff out the lives of 2,000 in Santa Clara County at the minimum and up to 16,000 on the high end, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

Harkness said the extent to which stay-at-home orders Gov. Gavin Newsom implimented March 19 are adhered to could dramatically reduce the grimmest of projections, but that "Even in the best case scenario, we were looking at the order — in the next 12 weeks — of 2,000 potential deaths directly from COVID-19."

Harkness said that if social distancing wasn't practiced, 16,000 in Santa Clara County could die by the end of May. About half that many would die over that period should mediocre compliance occur, the report said.

The county issued a statement Thursday night distanced itself from Harkness’ projections.

“The model shared by the City of San Jose projecting deaths and future case counts of COVID-19 was not produced, reviewed, or vetted by the County of Santa Clara,” the statement said. “The County of Santa Clara continues to actively assess the situation and take necessary actions to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in our community and protect those most at risk for severe illness.”

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