Shadow Play on 18th. Photo by Mark Rabine

Another new rapid test has received emergency use approval by the FDA.  It seems the news about rapid testing for Covid-19 has outstripped real world testing.This test was discussed at length during a recent UCSF Grand Rounds.  It uses a card, works like a home pregnancy test, and delivers results in 15 minutes and costs about $5.  Dr. Michael Osterholm, from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) cautions that the test’s low sensitivity may make it inappropriate for diagnostic purposes.

Osterholm discusses the issue at greater length in a recent podcast.

You don’t need a test for a flu shot.

Now onto the numbers.

HiGeorge, a data visualization startup, developed some new visualizations for Mission Local, which we will be using and fine-tuning in the days to come. 


Although there has been increased testing in the Mission, the number of recently reported cases seems low. Only one case was added yesterday  bringing the Mission to a total 1225 as of August 25.

A week ago, when numbers are considered “more reliable,” the seven-day average of daily cases fell to 75. It hasn’t been that low since July 7.

Almost all models agree that the effective R number in San Francisco remains steady at, or slightly below, 1.

We apparently now see the deaths resulting from the recent wave of cases and hospitalizations.

The SF Latinx population continues to make up the majority of cases in the City. A rise in Latinx and White deaths is reflected in the latest count.


Although Covid confirmed and suspected hospitalization numbers fell below 90 for the first time since July 13,  hospital capacity figures also fell. 9 fewer available ICU beds and 3 fewer available Acute Care beds were reported today. Nontheless, DPH reports a seven-day average of 33 percent of ICU beds and 23 percent  of Acute Care beds available as of August 24.

The seven day average of daily tests collected in SF as of August 20 was 3728, well above the DPH goal of 1800 per day.

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Mark Rabine has lived in the Mission for over 40 years. "What a long strange trip it's been." He has maintained our Covid tracker through most of the pandemic, taking some breaks with his search for the Mission's best fried-chicken sandwich and now its best noodles. When the Warriors make the playoffs, he writes up his take on the games.

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