Morgan Hill becomes second most infected city in Santa Clara County with rising COVID-19 case rate

MORGAN HILL, Calif. (KGO) -- Morgan Hill leaders are figuring out ways to address its rising case rate.

"I wish I could say this is what's causing the spike, then we could address it. It is disheartening to know that our citizens are suffering," said Rich Constantine, Morgan Hill's Mayor.

As of Wednesday morning, Santa Clara County's dashboard reported that Morgan Hill had nearly 7,500 new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents within the past seven days.

Morgan Hill's COVID-19 case rate is now only second to Gilroy. It's surpassed San Jose where numbers have been improving.

"We need to make sure that people are testing. We also want to make sure that those people who are at higher risk are getting their vaccines," said Yvonne Martinez Beltran, a Morgan Hill councilwoman.

One problem leaders are trying to address: Morgan Hill doesn't have a single vaccination site. Residents must travel to San Jose or Gilroy to get the shot.

"Just being able to get people to vaccination sites is probably going to be where we have to focus our energies," said Constantine.

Many vulnerable populations, including the elderly and essential workers, live in the city.

For Morgan Hill's leaders, the spike is a sobering reminder to stay aggressive on community outreach.

"There still are some severe gaps in providing the assistance, people need to be able to cover themselves both economically, as well as from a health perspective," said Nick Gaich, president of the Morgan Hill Community Foundation.

"I would ask, you know, for the Latino community to take your seniors and get them vaccinated or get scheduled for an appointment," said Martinez Beltran.

"Continue to get tested. That is very important. Continue to social distance. Now is not the time to let up," added Constantine.

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