Dr. Sara Cody honored for work managing COVID-19 in Santa Clara County

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody has been honored for work managing the novel coronavirus crisis in Santa Clara County.

RELATED: Cases reach more than 106,000 in Bay Area

On Friday, nonprofit mental health provider Momentum For Health awarded Dr. Cody with the 2020 Shining Stars Award of Excellence.

The doctor is the architect of one of the first shelter-in-place orders in the country.

She has been criticized for taking a cautious approach to reopening the economy, and her approach has even gotten her death threats.

But Dr. Cody says she was focused on protecting lives.

"I don't think we really recognized at the time that we were doing anything that was so momentous," Dr. Cody said, "we were really just focused on what was our job, what was our mission, what could we do together."

RELATED: Sheriff investigating threats against Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County's top public health official

The Momentum for Health organization was able to raise more than $44,000 dollars during Friday's benefit fundraiser.

INTERACTIVE: Here's the reopening status of every Bay Area county

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