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The state is using every tool available to fight this pandemic and distribute vaccines at an unprecedented pace and scale. I am pleased to inform you that, after receiving more than 3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the state is set to surpass its lofty goal of vaccinating 1 million people within 10 days. The Governor announced on January 15th, 2021 that the state is on track to reach this goal and that, to date, we have administered vaccines to 1.188 million Californians.
There is still much work to be done to vaccinate all those that are eligible and, eventually, our entire state. To rapidly speed up our vaccination efforts, the state has increased the pool of health care professionals authorized to provide vaccinations by more than 100,000. This includes more than 36,000 dentists as well as pharmacy technicians overseen by licensed pharmacists.
In order to prioritize those that are at higher risk, the state announced this week that each individual health system is now authorized to vaccinate individuals age 65 and older. It is now up to each healthcare system to expand vaccination to this age groups based on their availability.
Our County Health and Hospital System announced that they currently only have enough vaccines for the 75 and older population but are quickly growing their capacity to expand access as soon as possible. Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is now administering over 6,000 COVID-19 vaccines each day and, as of January 14, 2021, the County has administered 32,352 first doses and 6,594 second doses to those healthcare workers and community members 75 and older that are eligible.
The County Public Health Department released the following statement regarding providers across the county: "Our understanding of the current landscape of other providers in our community is that: Kaiser is currently offering vaccination to healthcare personnel and a limited number of individuals 65 and older; Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Stanford and El Camino Health are offering vaccination to healthcare personnel and those 75 and older; and Regional Medical Center and Good Samaritan are still only offering to healthcare personnel."
Please be aware and cautious of fraudulent information that is being spread regarding the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine and remember that the official and most up-to-date source for vaccine-related information in Santa Clara County is sccfreevax.org.
Individuals who are eligible to be vaccinated should contact their healthcare provider for more information or to make an appointment:
- Kaiser Permanente members should contact Kaiser's Appointment & Advice Call Center at (866) 454-8855 to book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Eligible individuals who receive primary care from Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) should contact PAMF to schedule their vaccination appointment.
- Eligible individuals who receive their primary care from Stanford Healthcare should contact Stanford to schedule an appointment. Online scheduling will begin the week of January 11th.
- Eligible individuals whose primary care provider is Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Hospital & Clinics (SCVMC) can be vaccinated through the County's Health and Hospital System. Schedule a vaccination appointment here.
- Eligible individuals whose primary care provider is not with Kaiser, PAMF, Stanford, or SCVMC can be vaccinated through:
Learn more about the California Department of Public Health Allocation Guidelines for the COVID-19 Vaccine here and about the state's vaccination efforts here. A new state system is expected to launch next week that will notify people when they are eligible to receive a vaccine and I will provide you more details regarding this system once they are announced. For your easy reference, the below table from the California Department of Public Health conveniently summarizes California's vaccination prioritization phases as of January 18th, 2021.
Reflecting on the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Every third Monday of January we recognize a national day of service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The wise words of Martin Luther King Jr. are as relevant now as they were then. His vision was one of equality and prosperity for all. Let us honor his legacy by moving forward guided by compassion and empathy. We must remain focused and driven to build a world in which everyone can thrive.
Governor Proposes Immediate Budget Action
As I mentioned in our last newsletter, as part of his proposed 2021-22 State Budget, Governor Newsom has proposed that the State Legislature adopt immediate budget action within the next few weeks. The investments we prioritize in our State budget over the upcoming few weeks will mean everything to California businesses and families hardest hit by this crisis.
With a commitment to building a more equitable and resilient California as we overcome this pandemic, the immediate action proposed will provide critical aid to our Californians that are struggling, including investments in our school districts, our small businesses, and our working families that need it so urgently.
This much needed immediate relief includes an additional $575 million towards the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant program, bringing the total available funds for small businesses to more than $1 billion, the distribution of $2.4 billion in rapid cash payments to individuals and working families with the greatest need, fee waivers to individuals and businesses totaling $70.6 million, and an extension of the current statewide eviction protections.
As we are seeing projections of shortfalls between landlords and tenants that are going unresolved, I believe that the state must also prioritize landlord and tenant mediation programs, including legal aid services, to help resolve tenant-landlord disputes. As we proceed through this budget process, it is important to consider whether federal stimulus dollars may be appropriate for these purposes.
In my role on the Senate Budget Committee, I will continue to prioritize economic recovery efforts to provide relief to those Californian's who need it the most and ensure that, even during a time of crisis, the state is taking steps to advance our values of economic inclusion.
Learn more about the State's Proposed 2021-22 Budget at this link.
COVID-19 By the Numbers in California
Positivity Rate for California:
California's positivity rate is a key indicator of community spread. As of January 14th, the 7-day positivity rate is 12.6% and the 14-day positivity rate is 13.4%.
Nationwide COVID-19 Numbers (reported by the Center for Disease Control from the previous day):
As of January 14th, there have been:
- 22,965,957 total positive cases, with 225,815 new cases reported from the prior day.
- 383,351 total deaths, with 4,096 new deaths reported.
For more COVID-19 data provided by the CDC, click here
Healthcare Worker Cases:
As of January 14th, local health departments have reported 77,215 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 298 deaths statewide. For skilled nursing facility data, visit: Skilled Nursing Facilities: COVID-19.
Tests Conducted in California:
As of January 14th, there have been 37,130,366 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 287,715 during the prior 24-hour reporting period. These numbers include data from commercial, private and academic labs, including Quest, LabCorp, Kaiser, University of California (UC) and Stanford, along with the 25 state and county health labs currently testing.
COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations in Santa Clara County
The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department announced 145 new deaths from COVID-19 last week, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,076 in Santa Clara County as of January 18th, 2021. The total case count has now reached 93,557 with a 7-day rolling average of new cases (based on specimen collection date) at 1,431 cases per day.
As of January 18th, there were 612 COVID positive patients hospitalized in Santa Clara County (down from 708 the week prior) with 146 patients in the ICU. The current ICU capacity in the county is 6%. More data can be found through the Santa Clara County Public Health Department's Data Dashboards.
Get Tested - Week of January 18th
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center continues to offer free drop-in and appointment-based COVID-19 testing at several locations across the county. Residents can book an appointment for various sites in Vietnamese, Chinese, Spanish, or English. Visit www.sccfreetest.org for this week's schedule.
Drop-in Testing - Walk-Up:
- Emmanuel Baptist Church: 467 N. White Road, San José
- Tuesday, January 19th through Friday, January 22 from 11am to 5:30pm
- South County Annex (formerly Del Buono Elementary): 9300 Wren Avenue, Gilroy
- Tuesday, January 19th through Friday, January 22 from 10am to 4:30pm
- San Ysidro Park: 7700 Murray Ave., Gilroy
- Wednesday, January 20th from 11am to 5:30pm
- Public Health Resource Hub in East San José: 1775 Story Rd., San José
- Friday, January 22th from 10am to 4:30pm
Appointment-Based Testing - Drive-through/Walk-Up/Bike Access:
- Santa Clara County Fairgrounds - Lot A - 344 Tully Road, San Jose, parking lot across from Gate B and across from the Blue Arch
- Mondays, 7am-3pm
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 7am to 6:30pm
- Fridays, 11am to 6:30pm
- Saturdays and Sundays, 9am to 3:30pm
Appointment-Based Testing - Walk-up:
- Mountain View, Mountain View Community Center - Redwood Hall, 201 S. Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View
- Tuesday, January 19th, 9:30am - 4:00pm
- Cupertino, Cupertino Senior Center, 21251 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino
- Wednesday, January 20th, 9:30am - 4pm
- Campbell, Orchard City Banquet Hall, 1 W. Campbell Ave, Campbell
- Thursday, January 21st, 9:30am - 4pm
- Palo Alto, Mitchell Park - El Palo Alto Room, 3700 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto
- Friday, January 22nd, 9:30am - 4pm
Additional Community-Based and State-Operated Testing Options
- Roots Community Health Center: Antioch Baptist Church parking lot, 268 E. Julian St, San José, 95112. COVID-19 testing offered every Wednesday from 10am to 3pm. For more information or to pre-register see here or call 408-490-4710.
- Gardner Health Services: Mexican Heritage Plaza, 1700 Alum Rock Avenue, San José, 95116. Testing offered every Wednesday from 1pm to 7pm. For more information, call 408-457-7100.
- AACI Health Center: Story Road Clinic: 749 Story Rd, #50, San Jose CA 95122. Testing offered every Friday from 9am-12pm. For more information, call 408-975-2763.
- OptumServe Sites - Visit here or call (888) 634-1123 to schedule an appointment:
- Independence High School (drive through): 617 N. Jackson Ave., San José. Testing offered Sunday through Friday from 7am to 7pm.
- Mount Pleasant High School (drive through): 1750 S. White Road, San José. Testing offered Monday through Saturday from 7am to 7pm.
- Gilroy Civic Center: 7351 Church St., Gilroy. Testing offered Friday through Tuesday from 7am to 7pm.
- Gavilan College: Social Science Building, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd, Gilroy CA 95020. Testing offered Tuesday through Thursday from 7 am to 7 pm
- Grange in Morgan Hill: 40 E 4th Street, Morgan Hill CA 95037. Testing offered on Friday January 22, 2021 from 7 am to 7 pm.
- Valley Water (Mobile Van): 5750 Almaden Expressway, San Jose CA 95118. Testing offered on Wednesday, January 20 and Thursday, January 21, 2021 from 7 am to 7 pm.
- James Lick High School: 2951 Alum Rock Ave., San José. Testing offered Tuesday through Saturday from 7am to 7pm.
State Resources Posted on My Website
COVID-19 By the Numbers in California
State resources and services available during the pandemic have been posted on my new website: sd15.sen.ca.gov. Just click on the "COVID-19" link under the "Resources" tab of my website to get connected to some of the most frequently used state resources, including resources for businesses and employers, students, those in need of housing and financial assistance, and more.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns. I can be reached at senator.cortese@sen.ca.gov.
Thank you,
Dave Cortese
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