Dr. Sara Cody Reflects on Pandemic During Visit to SMC

As Santa Clara County Public Health Officer, Sara Cody, MD, has played a pivotal role in the Bay Area’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two and a half years.

Speaking to a group of Saint Mary’s students in a talk sponsored by the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, Department of Biology, and the School of Science, Cody gave a brief description of her path into public health before shifting into a discussion of the pandemic.

Touching briefly on topics like the Bay Area’s response to the pandemic in early 2020; the effect of the pandemic on specific communities, including communities of color; and what lessons can be drawn moving forward, Cody did her best to strike a positive tone while also reflecting on the challenges presented to public health systems that were stressed even before COVID-19 became a reality.

Cody also touched on Santa Clara County’s efforts to combat disinformation, saying that the county does its best to understand the root cause and uses focused local messengers to deliver accurate information to the community. 

One common misconception, she said, has come from the assumption that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 caused fewer deaths than previous variants. In fact, because Omicron is so much more transmissible, it has resulted in more deaths than any previous variant simply because more people have gotten infected.

Despite the complacency that exists over COVID-19, Cody said she will continue to mask in indoor settings to give herself the best chance to stay protected from the virus. She added that while additional funding has been made available to public health organizations during the pandemic, the challenge moving forward will come in how those entities plan for a future where that funding is no longer available.

“Dr. Cody was not only gracious with her time talking to students interested in careers in virology or public health, but her candid assessment of how the country has performed during the pandemic and where we are now was sobering,” said Professor Myrna Santiago, who moderated the discussion. “We are not out of the woods yet, even if it feels like it in the Bay Area because we have very high rates of vaccination. I understand much better what the term ‘living in a bubble’ means now! We are going to have to be both patient and vigilant on campus.”