Los Gatos Union School District trustees are backing the district’s superintendent almost a week after he came under fire for encouraging teachers to skip the line for COVID-19 vaccines by pretending to be health care workers. “I firmly believe teachers are essential workers and that we should be vaccinating them all as soon as possible,”...
San Jose Good Samaritan says no one’s been fired over COVID-19 debacle
Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose said reports that it fired a top executive in its COVID-19 vaccine skip-the-line scandal are false and that he is still on the job. As first reported by San José Spotlight last week, at the behest of the hospital’s chief operating officer, Gary Purushotham, Los Gatos teachers and staff...
New COVID-19 vaccine distribution rules raise concerns in Santa Clara County
The state this week announced the COVID-19 vaccine will be administered based on age rather than a person’s risk factor, a change Santa Clara County health officials worry may affect equitable access. Meanwhile, a coalition of local lawmakers is pushing Gov. Gavin Newsom to allow vaccines to be distributed by census tract, allowing the hardest...
San Jose hospital chief reportedly gets ax over COVID-19 vaccine scandal
One of Good Samaritan’s top leaders is said to be out of a job after he came under fire for flouting county guidelines and providing COVID-19 vaccines to Los Gatos teachers as part of an apparent quid pro quo. Sources familiar with the hospital say Chief Operating Officer Gary Purushotham has been fired, the Mercury...
Santa Clara County DA ‘looking into’ South Bay hospital allowing teachers to skip line for COVID-19 vaccines
A South Bay hospital’s decision to allow affluent educators to skip the line for a COVID-19 vaccine could have legal implications. San José Spotlight has learned that the county District Attorney’s Office is examining whether any laws were violated when Good Samaritan allowed teachers and staff at the Los Gatos Union School District to receive...
Santa Clara County lifts stay-at-home order — here’s what can open
Santa Clara County joined California in lifting a stay-at-home order Monday, allowing businesses to reopen under previous purple-tier restrictions. Effective immediately, outdoor dining and personal care services can get back to business, and professional, collegiate, adult and youth sports can also resume. “Santa Clara County continues to experience very high rates of COVID-19 transmission,” said...
New vaccine may be needed to fight COVID-19 strain found in Santa Clara County
In the midst of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, health officials warned that a new strain of the virus — linked to several large local outbreaks — is spreading across Santa Clara County. Many are left wondering what that means for the vaccine and its efficacy against the new strain. And will scientists need to make...
South Bay hospital won’t receive more COVID-19 vaccines after it allowed affluent school district to skip the line
Santa Clara County will not provide Good Samaritan any more doses of COVID-19 vaccine unless it follows the rules, a sanction issued by health officials after this news organization reported hospital leaders allowed an affluent school district to skip the line and get vaccinated ahead of seniors and other vulnerable populations. “Good Samaritan’s actions are...
San Jose funeral homes struggling to keep up with COVID-19 deaths
Tom Beddingfield prides himself in being a yes man. In the funeral industry, it’s a must: With families grieving, the last thing some families want to hear is no. “In all the years I’ve been doing this, my biggest thing that I’ve always told my staff is that never tell a family no, whatever their...
South Bay hospital allowed teachers to skip the line for COVID-19 vaccines
Teachers and staff at an affluent South Bay school district can skip the line and get a COVID-19 vaccine — by pretending to be health care workers — at the behest of Good Samaritan Hospital, according to an email obtained by San José Spotlight. Teachers can’t get vaccines in Santa Clara County yet. The county...