The Mayor of San Francisco, London Breed, and Director of Public Health, dr. Grant Colfax, was resurrected this week at their weekly pandemic press conference and focused in particular on the distribution of vaccines as it now stands. But Colfax warns that it will take at least another week or two before we get a better picture of the impact of events and holiday travel during Christmas and New Year.
As last week, dr. Colfax continued to report on the apparent flattening of cases and hospitalizations in the city, although he stressed that “we will only know in mid-January” whether there will be a further upsurge due to holidays. San Francisco currently has 35% available capacity in intensive care units, compared to just 5.9% in the Bay Area – and until the regional average rises above 15%, the state visit to the home will not be lifted.
Colfax explained that one of the reasons more hospital capacity exists in San Francisco may have to do with seasonal slumps in things like elective surgeries.
Breed and Colfax discussed the deployment of vaccinations at Laguna Honda Hospital and elsewhere in the city, and Breed told dr. Joshua Adler of UCSF brought in to discuss how the vaccines are distributed there. Dr. Adler said UCSF now vaccinates 1,100 people a day, and they hope to increase it in the coming weeks – with health workers queuing up first. He also said that vaccine shipments from manufacturers have so far kept pace with the rate at which UCSF was able to vaccinate people.
Dr Colfax said the Department of Public Health has so far vaccinated about 6,000 people between Zuckerberg SF General Hospital, Laguna Honda and elsewhere in the city system. In Laguna Honda, where there are more than 700 elderly and disabled patients, vaccinations were started on Monday and the first dose of doses is expected to be completed on Wednesday for all residents who want it.
Broad shared some photos of Laguna Honda residents taking their vaccinations, including the photo above of Jasper Harris. ‘He had to deal with isolation and separation [in this pandemic], “Said Breed.” Thanks to Laguna Honda staff, he lives healthy and can get the vaccine. “
Although it may take months before widespread vaccinations take place across the city, with demand currently far exceeding supply, Dr. Colfax said: ‘We expect everyone who wants a vaccine to eventually get one, and we will work together … to make it happen. ‘
Once the city has completed Phase 1A of the distribution process, Phase 1B will begin, after which the state will determine which groups will be next vaccinations. This phase is likely to include people over the age of 75, as well as educators and essential workers such as grocery stores.
As of Tuesday, San Francisco had 24,564 cumulative, documented cases of COVID-19, and 198 people had died – four added since Monday. The new daily number of cases today was 156, but Colfax discussed a daily average of just over 200, or about 27 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This is higher than 6 new cases per 100,000 at the end of October and 15 per day at the end of November, as shown in a graph shared by Colfax last week.
See the full briefing today for below.
Previously: Colfax sounds happier as it delivers the latest COVID update of 2020, discusses SF Outlook
Top image: medical staff work at an ICU in Houston, Texas in early December. Photo by Go Nakamura / Getty Images