A mobile testing van funded by the state began serving the Tenderloin, South of Market, and Bayview neighborhoods, and will continue to do so for the next 90 days.
"We recognize that we need to be practical and nimble in the use of our resources and with a focus on health equity," SFDPH Deputy Director of Health Dr. Naveena Bobba said in a statement.
"We can scale up these mobile testing teams as needed if we have an increase in cases, and we can target locations where we know there is the highest demand and the most need for low-barrier access to testing. For most San Franciscans with health care providers, those providers are where you should go for testing. Over-the-counter test kits are also available from retail stores and other sources," she said.
Under the new mobile testing strategy, SFDPH officials will evaluate COVID-19 positivity rates throughout the city and decide where to station testing vans on a monthly basis. The locations of where vans will be available will be listed atWhile the city has closed the SoMa testing site, SFDPH will continue to operate other testing sites, including those at the Alemany Farmers Market, Southeast Health Center, and Ella Hill Hutch.
During the omicron surge in January, the city averaged 16,178 tests daily, much greater than the 4,663 tests per day as of March 13, according to SFDPH data.