English
Spanish
Vietnamese
Santa Clara County residents will soon have another COVID-19 vaccine option that may be more amenable to those who remain unvaccinated. The two-dose shot, produced by Maryland drugmaker Novavax, is the nation’s first so-called protein vaccine. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved its use for unvaccinated adults ages 18 and older. Compared to...
Silicon Valley doctors demand changes after death of colleague
Health care workers are demanding county leaders address workplace issues following one death by suicide and another attempt by Santa Clara Valley Medical Center physicians. “We’re in a crisis,” Valley Physician Group chairman Stephen Harris told San José Spotlight. The union represents nearly 500 doctors at three public hospitals in Santa Clara County. “We have suffered mismanagement for...
Long COVID poses risk for Silicon Valley: ‘It’s very debilitating’
Brandie Parshall caught COVID-19 in December 2020. One month later, she started experiencing debilitating malaise, chronic fatigue, heart issues and brain fog. In June 2021, she started being treated for long COVID symptoms, seeing Stanford specialists at the Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome Clinic. Long COVID is when symptoms persist for more than four weeks after infection,...
Santa Clara County launches mental health crisis hotline: 988
On Saturday, individuals in suicidal and mental health crisis will have a new option for help—911 flips to 988, a mental health crisis hotline. The new number takes the police out of the picture and diverts individuals toward mental health services. When calls come in, trained mental health crisis counselors work to deescalate the situation,...
Contagious COVID variant puts Santa Clara County on alert
COVID-19 infections are on the rise in Santa Clara County again, and officials are urging residents to mask up—even in some outdoor settings. In recent days, the county has reported more than 1,000 new daily COVID infections, officials said, noting the actual tally is likely much higher due to underreported test results. The current seven-day...
Say goodbye to flavored tobacco in San Jose
San Jose has put the kibosh on flavored tobacco to reduce teen vaping. Starting Friday, San Jose’s 600-plus smoke shops can no longer sell flavored tobacco and e-cigarettes, including menthol flavored products. The ban, which the San Jose City Council unanimously passed last September, will apply to any tobacco products with an artificial or natural flavor,...
Silicon Valley doctors decry plan to pay bonuses for seeing more patients
Local doctors are outraged over a proposal from Santa Clara County to tie some of their pay to the number of patients they see. The physicians from three county-owned hospitals say the model will hurt patients and quality of treatment. Nine doctors from Santa Clara Valley Medical Center gathered in front of the county offices...
Should your child get a COVID vaccine? Santa Clara County officials answer FAQs
After years of anxiously awaiting their turn, parents can now give their infants the COVID-19 vaccine — but many questions remain about getting the jab. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week approved vaccinations for children ages six months to 5 years old, but some parents remain unsure. Questions range from side effects to...
Probable monkeypox infection reported in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County is investigating a possible case of monkeypox, a rare disease that has some on edge two years into the COVID-19 pandemic. A resident who recently returned to the area after traveling abroad has preliminarily tested positive for monkeypox virus, county officials said late Thursday. The Stanford Clinical Virology Lab confirmed it tested the case...
Santa Clara County preps COVID shots for infants and young children
The youngest population in Santa Clara County could soon get vaccinated for COVID-19. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized both the Moderna and Pfizer shots for children as young as 6 months old—making nearly every person in the U.S. eligible for vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still have to...