Health

Health

Santa Clara County requires COVID boosters for workers in high-risk settings

Some workers in Santa Clara County will soon need a COVID-19 booster shot in order to continue working in high-risk settings. Santa Clara County health officials announced a new, limited health order Tuesday that requires some employees to have a booster shot as a condition of employment. The mandate will effect all public and private employees...

COVID testing sites in Silicon Valley overwhelmed by demand

Amid increasing concerns over the transmissibility of the omicron variant, many Santa Clara County residents in the South Bay are scrambling to find free COVID-19 testing during the holidays. “We were told that there would be a surge during the holidays, and we’re definitely seeing that surge now since at least (last) Thursday,” Sherie Call,...

San Jose mayor wants city workers to get COVID boosters

San Jose city employees may have another vaccine requirement coming their way. On Tuesday, Mayor Sam Liccardo introduced a proposal to require all city employees to get COVID-19 booster shots as a condition of employment. Visitors to city-owned facilities such as the SAP Center and San Jose McEnery Convention Center would also need a third...

Santa Clara County businesses brace for COVID once again

After almost two years of struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses may not be able to survive another hit caused by the omicron variant.  To help small businesses endure, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved $20 million in federal pandemic relief grants on Tuesday. The details are still being worked out. Join...

Homeless shelter, advocate clash over COVID protocols

An outbreak of COVID-19 infections in a county-owned shelter has prompted concerns from a homeless advocate who lives there, even though managers claim they’re following safety protocols. The Sunnyvale Family Shelter, owned by Santa Clara County and run by nonprofit HomeFirst, saw five cases of COVID in November, HomeFirst confirmed with San José Spotlight. The...

Increased San Jose child abuse calls raise counselor concerns

Schools in the San Jose area are receiving an increasing number of calls for child abuse and neglect, and some counselors say they’re facing reporting problems. Parents allegedly have been allowed to sit in on, or flat out refuse, interviews with child protective services pertaining to children who report the abuse. That’s causing concern for...

Santa Clara County braces as first omicron COVID case detected in California

Local health officials are racing to get ahead of a newly discovered COVID-19 variant, worried about a potential increase in transmissibility and vaccine evasion. On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed one omicron case detected by UC San Francisco. The person returned from South Africa last week, is fully vaccinated and has...

Businesses in San Jose airport seek COVID relief funds

Vendors at Mineta San Jose International Airport are not seeing revenues return to pre-pandemic levels, and local lawmakers want to offer financial help. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to let city officials continue negotiations with airport businesses about how to dole out COVID-related relief funds. A city commission will also take a...