The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in San Francisco climbed to more than 600 Tuesday as the total in the Bay Area neared 4,000.
Health officials reported an additional 39 positive tests in the city, bringing its total case count to 622, a 6.7% increase from the previous day. The death toll remained at nine, after it grew by one Monday.
There were 83 patients hospitalized Saturday, according to the most recent data from the city, with 37 in intensive care units. It has conducted 5,645 tests, with 13% coming back positive. Men account for 56% of San Francisco’s coronavirus cases and it has infected the city’s ethnicities at a fairly even rate, according to new demographic data released by the health department, though a third were categorized as “unknown.” Of the city’s known cases, 21% were white, 18% were hispanic, 13% were Asian and 4% were black.
The number of new cases has slowed in the city, but there remain a number of concerning hotspots, where the virus could spread quickly.
At Laguna Honda Hospital, four residents and 12 staff have tested positive, the city’s director of public health, Dr. Grant Colfax, said Monday.
The city learned Monday that two residents at a homeless shelter had tested positive, forcing them to scrap plans to open the Moscone West facility as a temporary, 394-bed shelter. The two who were infected had been in contact with at least 19 people who had relocated to Moscone West. Instead, it will be cleaned and converted into a 200-bed facility for those who don’t have a place to safely quarantine. The city is also hoping to acquire hotel rooms for those who have tested positive but don’t need hospitalization and aren’t able to stay at home.
The pace of growth has slowed considerably across the Bay Area, but it was still expected to go over 4,000 confirmed cases Tuesday. On Monday, both San Francisco and the region as a whole experienced its slowest growth since the onset of the outbreak.
It ticked up slightly Tuesday, but still nowhere the hardest-hit regions elsewhere.
