coronavirus

Increased COVID-19 Testing Starts This Weekend for SF Southeast Neighborhood Residents

Services will be available in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Chinese and Samoan.

A hospital staff member holds a coronavirus testing swab during the COVID-19 pandemic on May 4, 2020.
Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Free coronavirus testing will be available for residents in San Francisco's southeast neighborhoods starting Saturday as part of an effort led by the city and the University of California at San Francisco, among others, to increase access to testing for underserved areas.

According to Supervisor Shamann Walton, whose district includes southeast neighborhoods, increased testing is needed for people in those census tracts because they've been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

"The moment we knew that COVID-19 was affecting District 10 and other vulnerable populations disproportionately, we immediately began to demand asymptomatic testing for everyone in our communities," Walton said in a statement. "It's been a fight, but we are making some headway."

Testing for residents in the Bayview neighborhood kicks off on Saturday and Sunday starting at 8:30 a.m. through 5 p.m. at Leola Harvard School at 1520 Oakland Ave.

Then on Monday and Tuesday, more testing will be held at Herz Playground, 1701 Visitacion Ave., for people in Visitacion Valley and Sunnydale.

Another round of testing is scheduled for unhoused people in the Bayview on June 6 and 7 at a location and time to be determined, according to Walton's office.

Services will be available in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Chinese and Samoan. People who get tested can also get personal protective equipment, food and other items.

People who test positive will get access to health providers who can help them develop a care plan, Walton's offices aid.

Residents eligible include people in the census tracts 231.02 in the Bayview and Hunters Point areas and 605.02, which includes the Visitacion Valley and Sunnydale neighborhoods.

The testing is made possible through a partnership involving the San Francisco Department of Public Health, UCSF, United in Health. More information about testing or volunteering can be found at www.unitedhealth.org.

Copyright BAYCN - Bay City News
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