(English blog follows Spanish advisory)

Estimada comunidad de la Mission:

¿Sabía Ud. que las personas de la comunidad Latina que viven en la zona del distrito de la Mission han sido sumamente afectadas por el virus del COVID-19?

Comenzando HOY, Ud. puede registrarse aquí para obtener una prueba gratuita para todas las personas mayores de 4 años que viven en cierta zona del distrito de la Misión. Esta zona incluye aproximadamente 5,700 personas que viven entre las calles de South Van Ness y Harrison/César Chávez y la calle 23.

Las pruebas gratuitas se llevarán a cabo durante un tiempo limitado: 25 al 28 de abril.

Le recomendamos que se registre previamente para evitar esperar la linea/cola por largo tiempo.

Haga su cita aquí.
O llame a (844) 965-0987 para hacer su cita (esta es una línea telefónica bilingüe español/inglés).

Pruebas disponibles en estos lugares:

• Garfield Park
• Parque Niños Unidos 
• Leonard R. Flynn Elementary School
• Cesar Chavez Elementary School

¡Obtenga su prueba!

¿Desea más detalles? Vea toda la información de las pruebas aquí y aún más aquí.

¿Por que participar?
Esta es una gran oportunidad de proteger a nuestros ancianos, familias y para contribuir a la lucha en contra de esta pandemia.

Las pruebas están patrocinadas a través de un consorcio creado entre UCSF, el grupo de trabajo Latino para el COVID-19, el Hospital General de San Francisco, el Departamento de Salud Pública, la ciudad y el condado de San Francisco.

Saludos,
Su Equipo de MEDA

P.D.: Para más recursos de COVID-19, diríjase a medasf.org: español o inglés.

Community Alert: Free COVID-19 Testing in the Mission April 25-28

These are challenging times for the Latino community across the land, and closer to home in our beloved Mission District. 

The numbers
Did you know that Latinos make up 15% of San Francisco’s population, but represent at least 25% of COVID-19 cases? That according to the City’s COVID-19 Data Tracker. The most COVID-19 cases in San Francisco are in the Mission’s ZIP code of 94110, at 166 community members infected as of April 20. 

There are two main reasons: many Latinos hold jobs that still require community contact (such as grocery store workers and food delivery); and living in tight quarters in a time of physical distancing increases the possibility of disease spread within a household. Regarding the latter, a MEDA Housing Survey found that 43% of our community’s Latino families lived in overcrowded conditions, compared to 26% for non-Latino families. 

Get tested
Now is the time to get tested. And it is FREE.

You should pre-register here to obtain free COVID-19 virus testing, which will be done in our community for the limited time of April 25-28 only. This testing is available for every person four years of age and older living in a certain area in the Mission District, regardless of if you have symptoms or not. This area includes approximately 5,700 residents who live between S. Van Ness Ave. and Harrison St., and Cesar Chavez and 23rd streets.  

This testing program is sponsored by UCSF, San Francisco General Hospital, the Latino Task Force for COVID-19, the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the City of San Francisco.

Confirm your eligibility and register here.
Or call (844) 965-0987 to make an appointment (bilingual English/Spanish phone line).

Locations
Convenient testing locations have been set up across the Mission.

The following are the Mission locations where testing will take place:

• Garfield Park/Parque Niños Unidos 
• Leonard R. Flynn Elementary School
• Cesar Chavez Elementary School

It should be noted that the two elementary schools are Mission Promise Neighborhood schools. MEDA is the lead agency of the Mission Promise Neighborhood community anti-poverty education initiative.

Knowledge is power: This is a great opportunity to protect our elders and families, plus contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Our community is strong and resilient.

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For more details on COVID-19 testing: https://unitedinhealth.org/

For more COVID-19 resources, head to medasf.org: Spanish or English. 

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Photo from Unsplash.