It is great to read that the Board of Supervisors wants to get testing going, but it sounds like all they are getting from staff is a lot of excuses. Other counties and cities are getting it done, why isn't Santa Clara County. Why not get creative and go private, like Maryland did.

It is ironic that Dr Cody won't lift Shelter in Place rules until there is adequate testing and contact tracing, but then the County totally drops the ball on making testing available. Heck, we were the first county in the country with a confirmed Covid case, but seem close to last on getting testing going. What has everybody here been doing while others were getting what they needed. The Counties delay is costing billions of dollars to our residents and businesses, and their tax receipts!

This is Silicon Valley, with huge resources. Has anybody asked Tech to help out financially? LET'S GET IT DONE FOLKS!

Dr. Cody is clearly in WAY over her head.

"The county also formed a new COVID-19 testing task force, to be headed by former county public health officer Dr. Marty Fenstersheib..."

Why bring back the FORMER health officer? Apparently, the County Supervisors hare rightly signaled their lack of faith in Dr. Cody.

"The county needs to be able to test roughly 4,000 people per day before the stay-at-home order can be relaxed, County Executive Jeffrey Smith.... As of last week, it had reached only about 1,000 tests per day...the county's goal is to expand to 15,000 to 20,000 tests per day, he said."

Let's see.... We've been flat at about 600-1k tests per day for over a month. I guess Mr. Smith is praying for a miraculous 20-fold increase in testing capacity. That doesn't just happen. Where is the PLAN? Why can Alameda County test all of OUR residents (apparently THEY can get the reagents) while our elected officials just throw up excuses. "It's SO hard. It's out of our control."

100% of the County's efforts (from the Supervisors to the Sheriff's office) should be focused on expanding testing so we can safely reopen our economy.

Testing reveals whether you have gotten the virus YET. It can help stop or delay the spread. But it says nothing about the mortality rate for the virus. Of the first 1 million diagnosed cases in the USA, 60,000 died. That is 6%. At that rate, if 330 million Americans eventually get infected (absent new treatments), 19.8 million will die. Might some be saved by more hospital space, equipment and supplies? Some. But this virus may continue to spread, kill and disable for years or forever. Might the spread slow with 70% "herd immunity." Should. But many millions of cattle, I mean humans, will sooner be dead. Can rich people isolate and avoid the virus. Apparently. But they are still at risk. So why are the masses not being told the truth? Well, some say it would not help and maybe even lead to panic and lawlessness. Some politicians, of course, who did little or nothing to forestall this outbreak and onslaught, want to get re-elected as soon as November 3. President Trump pretends there will be a vaccine or treatment or magical reprieve no later than November 4 os shortly thereafter. And the Trump campaign con-men have floated the idea that because only a fraction of the overall population has been infected, the death rate is measured by 330 million Americans divided by the 60,000-75,000 dead ones. A fourth grader could see through that con-job. And yet I bet half of Americans believe such nonsense. What we need is new leadership that puts saving health and lives from this and future viruses at the top of the agenda. It probably requires reorganizing working and learning and living. Is that new leader at the top Joe Biden for President. Well, it sure ain't Trump.

A doctor-researcher from Los Altos writes in another newspaper on this Mother's Day about the "NEXT PANDEMIC LURKING IN THE SHADOWS OF COVID-19." Simply returning to "business-as-usual" could kill off most - if not all - of the human race.