San Francisco launched its first COVID-19 vaccination site on Monday in the Mission District, one of the neighborhoods most affected by the pandemic.
The new small-scale site comes after the city opened its first mass vaccination site last month at City College in San Francisco, although that site is only available by invitation for now, as vaccine doses remain limited.
The new site is located at 24 and Capp streets and, for now, it is by appointment only and is being administered to health professionals and people over 65 years of age. The site has the capacity to vaccinate 120 people per day at the moment, but in the future the city hopes to increase that number to 200 to 400 vaccinations per day, when the vaccine is once again available.
The city expects to vaccinate up to 10,000 residents a day among all its planned vaccination sites.
“COVID-19 has a disproportionate impact on our Latin community, so it is so important that we are taking these vaccines directly to neighborhoods that have been hit so hard,” said Mayor London Breed in a statement. “We are ready to deliver 10,000 vaccines per day here in San Francisco as supply increases through our network of high-volume vaccination sites, as well as a range of neighborhood locations that will provide easy access to our diverse communities across the country. City . “
The director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Dr. Grant Colfax, said: “The 24th Street website is a model of how we can reach all communities in San Francisco. Along with the continued commitment to public health measures, such as wearing masks and social detachment, an extensive and equitable vaccine distribution program in San Francisco can end this pandemic. ”
The new website is being operated by the University of California at San Francisco, Unidos en Salud / United in Health and the Latino Task Force.
“Today is an important milestone in our fight to combat COVID-19 and it is due to our partnership and mutual trust that we can bring vaccines directly to a population that has been painful and disproportionately affected by this pandemic,” said Latino. Task Force Health Officer Jon Jacobo said.
Latino residents in the city, as well as across the state, have seen the most disproportionate infection rates, with Latinos accounting for 42% of all cases across the city, while representing only 15% of the city’s population .
As more vaccine supplies become available, the city is trying to launch additional vaccination sites in areas like Bayview, Chinatown, Western Addition, Outer Sunset and Potrero Hill.
The city is encouraging people who live and / or work in San Francisco to apply to receive notifications of when they will be eligible to receive the vaccine at www.sf.gov/vaccinenotify.
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