UCSF Tested 3,000 for COVID-19 in the Mission District
Last week, through a partnership between UCSF, the Latino Task Force for COVID-19, and SF Department of Public Health offered free COVID-19 testing for all persons age 4 years and older in part of the Mission.
On Monday, UCSF announced results from initial coronavirus testing done in the city’s Mission District. The results show that Latinx Community, men, and economically vulnerable are at the highest risk. Nearly 3,000 were tested with 2.1% testing positive for COVID-19 with 95% of those being hispanic/latinx.
The results suggest that as many as 1 in 50 people living and working in the Mission could be actively infected with the virus, and that many are likely to be asymptomatic.
Because this was a limited test and participation was voluntary, the numbers may no be representative of the area as a whole. “Due to the limited testing citywide, it remains unclear how representative this is of the city overall, although project leaders estimate that infection rates are considerably higher in this area, due to the long-standing legacy of socioeconomic inequities that contribute to the continued spread of the virus.”
UCSF Survey Findings Based on Preliminary Results
- Of nearly 3,000 residents and workers in a Mission District census tract who were tested for active infection with the novel coronavirus, 62 individuals (2.1 percent) have tested positive.
- 1.4 percent of the participants who lived in the research area tested positive for COVID-19.
- More than half of those who tested positive (53 percent) reported experiencing no symptoms of COVID-19.
- Three quarters of those testing positive were men
- An overwhelming number of positive tests (95 percent) were Hispanic or Latinx, despite that demographic making up only 44.1% of those tested.
- 37.8% of those tested in the survey were White/Caucasian. Of this group, 0% tested positive.
- The majority of those who tested positive (82 percent) reported having been financially affected by the economic fallout of the pandemic and only 10 percent reported being able to work from home.
- The results suggest that as many as 1 in 50 people living and working in the Mission could be actively infected with the virus and that many are likely to be asymptomatic
- The initial findings only include current infections
- Results of antibody tests to assess prior infections take longer to process and are expected later in May.
The results so far suggest that those who are at the highest risk for infection are those who cannot easily shelter in place due to job loss, furloughs, or because they are providing the essential services. Among those who tested positive, 90 percent reported being unable to work from home.
