The vast amount of information and news each day on the novel coronavirus pandemic can make it difficult for West Valley residents to understand what they need to know in their community.
To improve transparency about the number of cases in Santa Clara County, the County’s Public Health Department launched a new data dashboard on Friday, which it will update daily at 2 p.m.
The site shows the number of known positive cases in the County, the death toll, and a breakdown of age ranges for those infected and tested. Notably, the dashboard does not show how many tests have been completed in the County to date.
As of Friday, Santa Clara County has 574 positive cases, an increase of 32 cases from Thursday’s total. 52% of those cases are from residents under 50 years of age. Officials warned that number is likely well short of reality.
“Because of limited testing capacity, the number of confirmed cases represents a small fraction of the total number of persons with COVID-19 in the County,” the statement read.
The Department also announced another death, raising the total to 20 in the County.
With the weekend upon us, County leaders were warning against social gatherings and asked on residents who do get out to enjoy some of the region’s parklands and open space to do so with appropriate social distancing, while staying as close to home as possible.
County Executive Jeffrey Smith seconded that notion.
“What’s really, really important is to stay home,” Smith said at a press conference Friday afternoon.
He continued, “What you can control now is social distancing.”