Bottom Line Up Front:

Due to widespread transmission in Santa, Clara, CA, CDC recommends expanded and laser focused community mitigation activities to help slow the spread of respiratory virus infections including the novel coronavirus SARS-C0V-2, the cause of the disease COVID-19. These approaches are used to minimize morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 as well as to minimize the social and economic impacts of COVID-19. Individuals, communities, businesses, and healthcare organizations are all part of a community mitigation strategy. Given the focal community transmission in Santa Clara, CA, and the involvement of multiple health care facilities, substantial interventions should be implemented at this time, based on the urgency of protecting the health care system with expected rise in cases by slowing the spread within the community (Table) and focused on protecting the vulnerable members of the community.

Goals

The goals for using mitigation strategies for Santa Clara County at this time are to protect:

  • Individuals at risk for severe illness, including persons of any age with underlying health conditions, particularly among elderly adults (See Appendix A).
  • The healthcare workforce and critical infrastructure workforces

These approaches are used to minimize morbidity and mortality caused by COVID-19 and minimize social and economic impacts of COVID-19. Individuals, communities, businesses, and healthcare organizations are all part of a community mitigation strategy.

Implementation emphasizes:

  • Emphasizing individual responsibility for implementation of recommended personal-level actions,
  • Empowering businesses, schools, and community organizations to implement recommended actions, particularly in ways that protect persons at risk of severe illness such as older adults and persons with serious underlying health conditions (e.g., Dialysis patients, congestive heart failure, emphysema)
  • Focusing on settings that provide critical services to implement recommended actions to protect critical infrastructure and individuals at risk of severe disease



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