Santa Clara County Reports 70 New Coronavirus Cases, 1 Death

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — The Santa Clara County Public Health Department reported 70 additional coronavirus cases Wednesday.

The latest report brings the countywide case count to 20,648.

The county reported one additional coronavirus-related fatality Wednesday, bringing its COVID-19 death toll to 300.

There were 103 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Santa Clara County as of Wednesday, of which 36 were being treated in intensive care units.

Elsewhere in the Bay Area and beyond, six Bay Area employers were recently cited by Cal/OSHA for failing to properly protect employees from contracting the novel coronavirus.

The Santa Rosa Police Department received the stiffest penalty of $32,000 for failing to implement screening and referral guidance for people with coronavirus symptoms, as required by the state.

The department also failed to report an employee's death due to COVID-19 for two weeks after they died, according to Cal/OSHA.

Cal/OSHA also fined the Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center in Hayward, Sutter Health's CPMC Davies medical campus in San Francisco, two branches of the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, the Canyon Springs Post-Acute nursing home in San Jose, and the Ridge Post-Acute nursing home in San Jose.

Fines were between $2,060 and $23,430, according to Cal/OSHA.

"Workers in health care and public safety are at a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19 and employers must put in place measures to protect these essential personnel," said Cal/OSHA Chief Doug Parker.

Employers are required by the state to report suspected coronavirus cases to their local public health department. Employees can file complaints about workplace safety and hazards at a Cal/OSHA district office or by calling 844-522-6734.

There have been 793,065 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 15,189 coronavirus-related deaths in California as of Wednesday afternoon according to data from John Hopkins University.

The United States had 6,925,840 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 201,617 coronavirus-related fatalities as of Wednesday afternoon.

There have been 31,735,542 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 973,443 deaths reported globally as of Wednesday afternoon.

— Bay City News contributed to this report.