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Comprehensive COVID-19 testing is underway in a San Francisco neighborhood hit hard by the pandemic to help researchers understand why communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by the disease.
The Mission District has one of the highest coronavirus infection rates in the city. It also has a large Latinx population.
San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen represents the area.
"The Latino community makes up 15% of the population in San Francisco and yet is testing positive for the COVID-19 disease around the 23% to 25% range."
In a release Saturday, the California Department of Public Health said for adults 18 and older, "Latinos, African Americans and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are dying at disproportionately higher levels," adding the proportion of COVID-19 deaths in African Americans is roughly two times their population representation across all adult age categories in the state.
Beginning Saturday, Mission District residents can get free COVID-19 tests for four days, both for active infections and antibodies to see if they already have had the disease.
The project is part of a University of California, San Francisco study, with testing being conducted at two schools and two parks.
The study is also offering free testing for residents in Bolinas.
"People who are tested are going to know their status," USCF Professor of Medicine and Chief of the HIV/AIDS Division Dr. Diane Havlir. "We’re going to understand more (of) what’s happening in the community. We’re going to understand more if any children have already had the disease."
Mission District resident Tracy Brown is with the city’s Latino Task Force for COVID-19.
Brown is encouraging her neighbors to sign up to be tested.
"Be part of this so that we can find solutions in how we fight COVID-19 out of the Mission."
Researchers hope to test all 5,700 people living in the Mission.