As COVID-19 cases continue to climb in the South Bay, hospitals are struggling to keep up with the demand for resources. San Jose-based Valley Medical Center Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center hospital system, is pleading with charities across the valley for donations to help deal with the pandemic. Foundation...
Minority-owned businesses having hardest time paying rent, poll finds
Justen Torres had a big vision this year: Build Get Away Games & Media, a place where players are trapped in a themed room, solving clues and puzzles before they can get out. “Escape rooms are getting popular here because it is a new way for friends, family and co-workers to bond and build relationships,”...
Santa Clara County COVID-19 cases double, indoor dining to halt
After seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases, Santa Clara County officials announced they are rolling back indoor activities and likely moving back into the stricter red tier. Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said the county has recorded 362 new cases within one day on Nov. 13 and has at least 110...
San Jose hospitals face pressure as COVID-19 cases surge
As Santa Clara County sees a surge in new COVID-19 cases, hospitals across San Jose are being stretched thin. Many hospital officials say they’re rising to the occasion. According to county data, 102 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Nov. 12 with about 17 new cases in the last day. There are 909 beds...
Coronavirus hotspots: San Jose neighborhood unites in response
Coronavirus hotspots: Top 3 areas hardest hit in Santa Clara County, Part 3 Patricia Casteillo and her husband both lost their jobs because of COVID-19, pushing her into a state of depression. She says she found hope at nonprofit Amigos de Guadalupe which, among other things, paid the deposit and first month’s rent so her family could...
Coronavirus hotspots: Downtown San Jose’s No. 2 ranking traces back to homelessness
Coronavirus hotspots: Top 3 areas hardest hit in Santa Clara County, Part 2 A near ghost town where row after row of boarded-up storefronts now serve as shelter to a growing homeless population, downtown San Jose has one dubious distinction. Its primary ZIP code — 95113 — this month had the second-highest rate of COVID-19...
Coronavirus hotspots: East San Jose ranks No. 1 in number of cases per capita in the county
Coronavirus hotspots: Top 3 areas hardest hit in Santa Clara County, Part 1 Albert Camarena sat in a chair on the front lawn of his home in East San Jose, facing eastward toward a vacant elementary school. “Everybody’s scared,” Camarena said. “They don’t want to be sick.” Camarena’s neighborhood and its corresponding ZIP code —...
Santa Clara County sees surge in COVID-19 cases
Santa Clara County health officials made an urgent plea for people to continue to take precautions after seeing an alarming uptick in COVID-19 cases and an increase in hospitalizations. “What’s significant about the increase in case counts that we’re seeing now is that it’s different than the slow rise that we’ve seen over the month...
New San Jose job program brings hope to workers displaced by COVID-19
Angellina Duran was scheduling appointments for a cardiologist prior to the pandemic. Things started to fall apart when she and her stepfather came down with COVID-19. Her stepfather, who was her primary childcare provider, was in the hospital for several weeks fighting for his life. He returned in a weakened state. After she recovered from...
Your COVID-19 questions answered: Part Two
San José Spotlight last month hosted an exclusive Q&A webinar with Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody, one of the nation’s leading health experts and the driving force behind the country’s first shelter-in-place order in March. Eight months later, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, Cody sat down with...