San Francisco poised to vaccinate 1,000 seniors in Chinatown

SAN FRANCISCO - The city of San Francisco plans to vaccinate 1,000 senior citizens living in public housing in Chinatown through its mobile vaccination unit over the next two weeks, Mayor London Breed said Friday.

The two day-event, set for Friday and April 9 at the Ping Yuen housing complex, aims to reach Chinatown seniors and is part of a larger effort to increase vaccination rates for communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Although citywide 80 percent of people 65 and older have been received at least one dose of the vaccine, in Chinatown that rate is considerably lower, with just 65 percent of Chinatown seniors having received at least their first dose.

"From the very beginning, our vaccine distribution has been focused on reaching our communities that have been hit hardest," Breed said in a statement. "We know that means meeting people where they are and making vaccines not only available, but also easy to access. Our community clinics and mobile vaccination teams are a critical part of that effort."

Despite the limited supply of the vaccine, the city has stepped up vaccination efforts, now capable of vaccinating up to 20,000 people daily -- double its initial goal of 10,000.

The city's mobile vaccination program started in February and has since vaccinated as many as 3,000 vaccine doses to San Franciscans, delivering access to residents in some of the most historically disadvantaged neighborhoods like Bayview, Excelsior, Tenderloin, Mission, Chinatown and Western Addition.

San Francisco Department of Public Director Dr. Grant Colfax said, "We've been using this mobile care model for many years to serve vulnerable populations and now we are applying these practices to administering the COVID-19 vaccines. I recently had the opportunity to see a mobile vaccination unit in action at NextDoor, a shelter serving people experiencing homelessness, and it was wonderful to see the relief on people's faces when they got their vaccine."

SFDPH, along with the city's COVID Command Center, have planned 30 mobile vaccination events over the next weeks, including a three-day event on Treasure Island for residents there, happening this Saturday as well as April 3 and 10 at Ship Shape Community Center at 850 Avenue I.

A separate event happening this Saturday and Sunday at the University of the Pacific Dental School aims to vaccinate up 300 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Then on April 2, the Lighthouse for the Blind will administer 200 doses to people with disabilities.

   People with disabilities interested in making an appointment can call the city's call center at (628) 652-2700. Other eligible residents can sign-up for a vaccination appointment at www.sf.gov/getcvaccinated.

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   DanielMontes1539p03/27/21