(KRON) — The Bay Area health official who issued the first COVID-19 stay-at-home order in the nation is stepping down next month. Dr. Sara Cody, the County of Santa Clara’s Health Officer and Director of Public Health, will retire in April, after more than 25 years in public health.
Cody issued the first stay-at-home order in the U.S. in March of 2020. The announcement of her retirement comes on the five-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.
“Serving the community in this role has been an extraordinary privilege, and I am grateful for the support and guidance I’ve received along the way, from community members, staff, and county leaders,” Cody said. “Now is the right time to pass the baton to the next set of public health leaders. I know the Department and the County will continue to make thoughtful public health decisions and support the critical work that so many across the county rely on every day.”
When Cody issued Santa Clara’s stay-at-home order nearly five years ago, Santa Clara was the hardest hit county by the virus in the Bay Area with 20 deaths.
Cody’s early action, along with those of her Bay Area peers, helped the region maintain one of the nation’s lowest death rates during the pandemic, according to a statement from the county. “When the COVID-19 crisis reached 1 million deaths nationally, the COVID-19 death rate in the Bay Area ranked lower than all but two U.S. states,” the county said. “Under Dr. Cody’s leadership, Santa Clara County also became the second most vaccinated large county in the country.”
Cody first joined the Santa Clara County Public Health Department in 1998.
(KRON) — The Bay Area health official who issued the first COVID-19 stay-at-home order in the nation is stepping down next month. Dr. Sara Cody, the County of Santa Clara’s Health Officer and Director of Public Health, will retire in April, after more than 25 years in public health. Cody issued the first stay-at-home order […]
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