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Santa Clara County is ready to offer all eligible residents COVID-19 booster shots within 24 hours of federal approval, but whether the plan is needed—and to what extent—remains unknown. After intense debate Friday, vaccine advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected Pfizer’s request to add a third shot to its two-doses regimen for the general...
San Jose firefighter, police unions oppose COVID vax mandate
San Jose firefighter and police unions are pushing back on the plan to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for city employees by the end of the month, warning the policy might lead to worker shortages. “Our message has been consistent through all of this process,” Matt Tuttle, president of San Jose Firefighters Local 230, told San José Spotlight. “While...
San Jose mandates COVID shots for city workers, silent on vax rates
San Jose employees will have to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination by the end of this month or face suspension, the city announced Wednesday. The city will no longer allow employees to submit weekly tests instead of vaccination proof. The decision comes as the city still can’t say how many employees are fully inoculated after...
San Jose tenants allege management kept COVID hospitalization quiet
Raymond Ramsey says he never relies on his property manager to share details about other tenants—because they often don’t. But he’s baffled that he learned about a recent COVID infection in his building through the local gossip mill. Ramsey, a former unhoused resident, moved into Santa Clara County’s first supportive housing complex, Second Street Studios...
San Jose nurse is bringing COVID-19 shots to homes of elderly
Lying in a bed surrounded by her grandchildren’s stuffed animals, 82-year-old Trinh Trinh got a knock on the door she was eagerly awaiting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. A nurse, armed with a COVID-19 vaccination, stood on the other side. Trinh, an East San Jose resident, is one of the countless elderly residents...
Santa Clara County sees few breakthrough COVID hospitalizations
Despite concerns about breakthrough COVID-19 infections, the number of hospitalizations among vaccinated residents in Santa Clara County remains low—and is mostly driven by older residents and those with underlying health issues, county health officials say. At county-run hospitals, only 12 of 52 patients with COVID-19 involve people who are fully vaccinated, which health experts say suggests breakthrough...
Santa Clara County workers catch COVID after return to office
COVID-19 infections are rising across multiple Santa Clara County departments about a month after management ordered workers back to the office, and some employees are frustrated and bewildered that they have to return. A county spokesperson told San José Spotlight that 221 positive infections occurred among approximately 22,000 employees between between July 3 and Aug....
San Jose schools report COVID cases as students return
Weeks after students returned to campus, San Jose’s three largest districts have reported nearly 120 COVID-19 cases. Officials say the low count is a sign that masks are working to fend off the virus. At the San Jose Unified School District, the largest district in the region with more than 30,000 students and 4,000 employees,...
Silicon Valley lawmaker wants updates on COVID shot for kids
Washington, D.C.—As students nationwide return to in-person learning, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) is calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to update Congress about the development of a COVID-19 vaccination for children. Three COVID vaccines are currently available in the United States, including Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Pfizer recently obtained full approval...
What San Jose residents should know about COVID booster shots
As the infectious COVID-19 Delta variant continues to sweep the nation, federal and local officials are rolling out a plan to offer booster shots to vaccinated individuals as early as September. Federal officials announced a plan last week to make booster shots available by the week of Sept. 20, pending further reviews. Adults with two doses of the...