BY SARA TABIN
Daily Post Staff Writer
Santa Clara County’s health officer, Dr. Sara Cody, was guarded by two representatives from the sheriff’s department at Tuesday’s press conference. The men stood off to the side during the press conference, which was held in the parking lot of the county’s Office of Education in San Jose.
After the English portion of the conference was over, Cody picked up her purse and walked quickly away. The two men followed her. When the Post attempted to follow Cody and ask her a question, a spokesman said she was done and the Post couldn’t ask her anything.
The health department has previously refused to set up and interview between the Post and Cody, who lives in Palo Alto. Cody has conducted interviews with the Mercury News which has printed positive coverage of her work and said she has saved thousands of lives by ordering the county to shelter at home.
Although some have praised Cody for keeping the county safe from COVID, others have blamed her for the hardships faced by local businesses and increases in mental health issues.
The health department confirmed yesterday that Cody has been the target of “serious threats” from a few individuals because of her orders.
“The County of Santa Clara is grateful to our Public Health Officer for having the courage to make science-based decisions, which, with the overwhelming support of the community, have saved thousands of lives during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” said the health department in a statement.
“Unfortunately, these decisions have placed a spotlight that has made our public health officer the target of serious threats from a few individuals. Even though those individuals represent a tiny fraction, we take those threats extremely seriously and are taking all the necessary steps to ensure the safety of our public health officer. We condemn any effort to harm or intimidate our Public Health Officer, an individual who deserves our respect and appreciation for having the bravery to make the tough calls needed to protect the health and wellbeing of all our residents, including the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Cody went to Stanford for her undergraduate degree and Yale for medical school. She has served as the county health officer at the Santa Clara County Public Health Department since 2013. Before that, she served as the Deputy Health Officer for over 15 years.