'Deluge Of Omicron' Arrives In Santa Clara Co.: Health Officer

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — The number of COVID-19 cases detected in Santa Clara County has tripled since Dec. 16 as Dr. Sara Cody, the county’s public health officer, warned in a news briefing Tuesday that the “deluge of omicron” she had projected two weeks ago had arrived.

"Our cases here in Santa Clara County are spiking, and the vast majority of them are omicron," Cody said.

Cody warned against New Year’s gatherings unless they are outdoors or have good ventilation, and said that people should wear masks at any indoor gathering involving more than 10 people from outside the household.

She also recommended against dining indoors at restaurants.

“I would recommend patronizing your favorite restaurant by ordering takeout or delivery, by tipping a lot if you’re able to support them, but gathering indoors without a mask is not the safest way to be right now with omicron spiking as it is,” Cody said.

The average number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents has also tripled from 10 to over 30 since Dec. 16.

On Tuesday, the county mandated that employees in certain healthcare and long-term care settings, such as nursing facilities, long-term care facilities, healthcare delivery facilities, jails and congregate shelters must receive a booster shot by Jan. 24.

Just over half of eligible Santa Clara County residents and nearly two-thirds of residents 65 and older have received a booster shot. Booster demand has been steady over the last several weeks, according to Cody.

The county is in a different position than it was a year ago, with vaccines available and most of the county vaccinated, according to Cody.

But Cody said that the omicron variant has shown in other parts of the world to grow “with breathtaking speed — a doubling time of around two days in many communities.”

In Santa Clara County, Cody said, “the curve is shooting up.”

“It is likely to shoot up and go higher than what it was before,” Cody added. “Even if a smaller proportion of those cases end up requiring a hospital bed, it could still end up being a lot of people, just because the absolute number of cases is quite large.”

Visit sccfreevax.org for information about vaccines.