we've got through challenging times before, and we will get through this challenging time once again, and we will look back and think wow, if we can get through that, we can get through anything, and it also will make us a stronger, more resilient city. this time is really testing our ability, it's testing our resolve. and if i know anything about the people of san francisco, i know this: i know that we are strong, i know that we are fearless. i know that when things happen in san francisco, the rest of the country follows. and and so the work that we have done here in reducing the number of deaths and being the first out of the gate to say that we're going to shutdown, and being leaders around

greenhouse gas emissions and combatting climate change head on, the work we've done around eviction moratoriums, you name it, we have been the leaders and others have followed. and so we will get through this. it is going to require a lot out of each and every one of us, and so i ask you to continue to do your part, and to remember what you do impacts me, and what i do impacts you. thank you for all that you do to keep this city going. it's a challenging time. it's time to uplift one another, it's time to put some energy in the air. enough with the complaints, enough with the negativity, enough with the divisiveness.

enough with that. we have an opportunity to do in the first of the pandemic, when notes were given to neighbors: what can i do for you? we have an opportunity to do for one another and put positivity in the air. we're not going to get through this on our own, we're going to get through this together, and i'm counting on each and every one of us. thank you all so much, and at this time, i want to welcome the director of public health, dr. grant colfax.

>> good morning. i'm dr. grant colfax, director of public health. and thank you, mayor breed, for your remarks and your ongoing leadership during this unprecedented time. this week, some of our local businesses opened their doors for the first time in many months. i want to acknowledge the sacrifice and perseverance of their owners and the employees.

thank you so much for helping make our community safer during these past months. as you reopen, thank you for keeping safety at the forefront. we are indeed in this for the long haul. whether we think of this as a marathon or a longer-inning game, our perseverance is necessary for us to carry forward. for us to continue reopening in san francisco, to carefully add limited indoor services, to bring children back into classrooms, to rebuild our economy as safely as possible, we all have to remain vigilant in our fight against this virus. and we do know more about the virus today than we did six or even three months ago. we know more about the data,

the science, the facts, including the risk and preventative measures we can and must take to continue to slow the spread of the virus. it is why san francisco's approach has been to open incrementally so that we can manage the reed of covid-19 as much as possible and sustain the progress that we have made. as we continue to reopen schools and indoor businesses, it is important that we continue to track the virus. we do that by tracking the local covid-19 data. the five key health indicators, which i encourage everyone to follow on-line, at datasf.gov

track data keeping the numbers stable and managing risk of infection. i look, the health department, many of us across the city, because i hear from you, look at this data closely on a daily basis. it helps drive our decisions on reopening san francisco, so let's take a few minutes to look at some of these data with regard to where we are today. we've had 10,430 san franciscans diagnosed with covid-19, and satly, 91 of them -- sadly, 91 of them from died. my thoughts are with their loved ones, their friends, and their community. we also know that 51% of people with positive cases have

identified as latino. but let's look at some graphics. here is the number of -- let's go back to that first slide, please. this is the number of covid-19 cases diagnosed in our city at this time. our case growth remains stubbornly in the red zone at about 61 new cases a day. this number has been slowly trending downward for the past few weeks, but we must remain vigilant, and i must say, with labor day and the crowds, we must continue to mask, to socially distance, to avoid mass gatherings whenever possible. we know from the data that this virus is responsive to our prevention measures. if we are careful and thoughtful, if we get to that

80% masking prevalence, if we keep 6 feet apart, if we avoid large gatherings, the virus slows down, and if we don't do those things, the virus speeds up. it's really that simple at this point. let's go to slide 2. this is the history of hospitalizations of covid-19 patients across our hospitals in the city. again, these data are available to review on our data tracker, but you can see that our happenings a hospitalizations are starting to rise again on that far left of the slide. we have had a 29% increase -- recent increase in covid-19 patients in san francisco hospitals recently. we do have sufficient hospital

capacity for them now, and this is one of the key indicators that we monitor very closely. i also want to take a moment to emphasize the pattern that we see on this slide since the beginning of the slide. san francisco, we didn't just flatten the curve, we crushed the curve, seeing cases go down to a low of 26 in june. we saw an increase, that surge that we talked about starting in late june, early july, peaking at 111 hospitalizations. that number's started to go down again. we went down to 51, and we are starting to see an increase again. but we can do this again. we did it twice, we can do it again. let's flatten and crush that curve for the fall. next slide. with regard to testing, we are

now testing an average of more than 3400 people a day for covid-19. 3400 people a day in san francisco are getting tested for covid-19. that's nearly twice our goal. we are following the virus and targeting our testing where the virus is most common in the city. we are focusing on vulnerable populations and people who are exposed to the virus, and people within those systems. and within our testing system, i am pleased to say that our turnaround time for test results is down to less than 1.5 days. our other covid-19 indicators and case investigation, contact tracing, the personal protective equipment or p.p.e.

remains steady. it is still our goal to reach 90% of people who test positive for covid-19 and 90% of their close contacts. recently, it's been closer to 82%, but we continue to make progress towards that ultimate goal. we have 100% of the personal protective equipment we need to protect health care workers and first responders in addressing covid-19, and because of 51% of all covid cases are within the latino community, we are working to continue to bring resources, particularly testing, contact testing, eye owe lation and quarantine, and other -- isolation and quarantine, and other wraparound services to those

communities. we have low exact testing sites set up in those neighborhoods, including the mission, bayview, and will continue to bring more testing sites to the southeast areas of the city, and we have increases our contact tracing to include spanish speakers, and nearly 50% of our hospitalization beds are occupied by people who identify as latino. but we must do more. and d.p.h. has committed to more services and resources to serve those communities that are most impacted by the virus. as we learn more about this virus, we will be targeted in our response as well as our reopening. we know that indoors is riskier than outdoors, which is why

indoor services and in-person learning remain limited. we know that mixing households in large gatherings is risky, too, and, once again, we know that face coverings make so much difference. as people continue to move about the city in increased activities, we will likely experience an ongoing increase in cases, and to keep this reopening, to keep it moving forward, we need everyone's help to limit that spread. our hope, our progress, our hope of continuing to do more depends on you, on me, and on all our neighbors and friends. please keep washing your hands, keep covering your faces. find ways to connect with

families and friends while keeping 6 feet apart. this is how we have, and this is how we will continue to protect san francisco. this is how we get san francisco back on track. thank you. >> thank you, dr. colfax, for your time. at this time, we have a few health-related questions for you when you're ready. >> thank you. >> the first set of questions are from ida from the san francisco examiner. the c.d.c. just issued a report about utah, where children in school settings spread covid to their households. how will san francisco ensure that the same doesn't happen here with schools opening in

person as soon as next week? >> yes, well, we continue to review the data with regard to school opening, and we are working very closely with educators and schools to ensure that we can open as safely as possible. look, there is risk, and i would not be surprised that even with the precautions that we're taking, that will be covid diagnosed in cases with school settings. schools are required to have safety plans. we are visiting schools to ensure that things like ventilation and classroom structures are able to open as safely as possible, and we will continue to work with the school systems and educators to ensure that school opening can be done as safely as possible with the many precautions that

we do know slow the spread of the virus. but this is the time of living in a situation with covid-19, and there is risk. there's no way to completely eliminate that risk in the settings, including educational settings. >> operator: thank you, doctor. the next set of questions are from alexander barreira from the san francisco business times. dr. colfax, do you anticipate indoor dining will be allowed in any capacity before the end of next month? if so, what criteria are you using to determine whether or not indoor dining is safe enough to be allowed? >> so again, we're reviewing data on transmission of the virus in indoor settings, potential transmission of the virus. there was an article out by the c.d.c. with regards to traditional indoor dining, so

that gives us pause. we are working with experts and city leaders to see what that opening might be, and we will share the timeline for any opening of indoor restaurants. i would obviously emphasize that outdoor dining and takeout remain options in san francisco. >> operator: thank you, doctor. the next set of questions are from christian captain with ktvu. are we seeing any increases in covid rates that may be associated with labor day activities? >> so we will continue to watch this data over the next week or two to see if we do see an increase. we did see an associated risk of cases a couple of weeks after memorial day, so monitoring that very carefully. i would also 'em if a ice that

the hospitalizations are -- 'em if -- emphasize that the hospitalizations that are affected will show up later. so we're looking at the case rate, which would show up earlier, and then, the hospitalizations will increase a couple of weeks after that. we're watching -- again, so much depends on people wearing those fasces, social distancing, and avoiding large crowds whenever possible. this is imminently doable. we know it works at this point, we just need to all do it. >> operator: thank you, doctor. the last question is from amy graff with sf gate.

san francisco has the lowest number of cases of any major city in the united states. how has san francisco been able to keep its death rate lower than other cities? >> well, i think there's a couple of other things, and i want to express gratitude to the hospital settings across the city, the hospitealth care systems across the city, the hospital systems. we found a way to coordinate and come together in terms of the hospital units and the medical surge beds that would need to be available. the other piece is we have world-class medical facilities in the city, and literally, the state-of-the-art care for covid-19 is being done here. and i think we also have, compared to other cities, excellent access to hospitals,

including at zuckerberg san francisco general. so while there's more to be done, our access to health care, to testing, to hospital systems, is very high compared to other jurisdictions. so i think it's a combination of other factors, but i'm so grateful to the fact that we do have a lower death rate, and let's all work hard to keep it that way. >> operator: thank you, dr. colfax. there are no further questions at this time, and that concludes today's press conference. thank you, mayor and dr. colfax.

[roll call] >> great. well, i have the privilege of welcoming you all to the september 1, 2020 meeting of the public health commission. welcome to the staff as well as members of the public, and i also have the pleasure of telling you i'm chairing the meeting today because it was commissioner bernal's -- his 50th birthday, and i can't imagine why anyone would want to take their 50th birthday off. however, he's decided to do so, and so i'm sure you'll join me in wishing him the very best for his birthday. so i guess the next agenda item is the minutes. >> yes. thank you, commissioner. item 2 is the approval of the minutes of august 18, 2020, and i can check to see if anyone

that's in public comment, please press star, three to raise your hands. >> i have a change to the minutes. the minutes show me as present, and i don't believe i was present at that meeting. >> thank you. commissioner, and i apologize for that mistake. that was me. and there was actually somebody with their hand raised, so i'm going to -- let me get my timer. caller, i'm going to unmute you, and you've got, then, two minutes. all right. caller, you've got two minutes on the clock. >> hi. i'm a little mixed up. is this the time for general comment? >> hi, dr. palmer. no, this is not. this is the general comment on the minutes. >> okay. i want to get back in line for general comment. >> okay. no problem. i will take your hand down. i will explain to everyone, here's the deal. when you're making comment, when the item is called that you're making public comment

on, you put your hand up, and you do that by pressing star, three, and you can do that for every item on the agenda, and you've got two minutes to talk. commissioners, any other corrections on the minutes. >> with the exception of the correction that commissioner guillermo brought up, is there a motion to approve the minutes. >> approved. >> second. >> clerk: i will do the roll call. [roll call] >> clerk: great. item 3 is the director's report. >> good afternoon, commissioners. grant colfax, director of public health. in my report, i have a number of covid items, and we will be

going over those in more detail in the covid update. but we have some important issues, and perhaps the most important issues, the d.p.h. budget. after a number of rounds of conversations with the commission and the board of supervisors, the board and budget committee amended and passed the budget for the health department, and i'm pleased to say that our -- for the most part, our budget was -- was passed consistent with what you saw and very much consistent with the mayor's priorities. our budget remains at $2.8 billion for 20-21 and $2.9 billion for 21-22, with very mine i don't remembor cha budget itself. i'd like to thank everyone who

worked so hard on the budget in this unprecedented year in general, but it was an unprecedented year with many challenges. in addition to the pandemic response, we've had to deal with inclement weather and air quality, and we are taking appropriate action with the department of emergency management and other partners to ensure that people remain as informed about the air quality and take steps to mitigate potential impacts from the air. you will see a number of highlights with regard to the d.p.h. work, and unless you have questions on the two items i just highlighted, we can cover the covid-19 updates in the next item. we have updates even from just about two hours ago, so we're

very much on the cutting edge here. myself, dr. aragon are here to answer questions about that. and then, we do have a presentation specifically on some of the educational activity reopenings we're doing. >> clerk: and commissioners, if i may, before we move to any other comments or questions, i see a hand up. any member of the public, if you would like to make comment, press star, three. all right. commissioners, it looks like there's no public comment, and with your help, commissioner green, i'll help you with your public comment. commissioner chow, it looks like your hand is up. go ahead. >> thank you. this is in reference to the air quality issue, and it is appropriate that the health department has put out advisories, and even on your

website had marked out, if you go into the covid website right away, there's the whole issue of the air quality. however, i'm just wondering if we could make it easier for people because this air quality issue may certainly surface again over the next several weeks, if not months, that rather than having -- it would appear that -- in the first page, it references going to sf72.org, but it doesn't work. it doesn't get you there. you have to hit the air quality reference in order to get to the air quality. but i'm wondering if we could actually show that more easily so you don't have to go point too many places to find out that that air quality for that day is such so that people would be able to understand that.

but i'm not sure what the technical issues are, but certainly know that sf72.org, i've tried it on two or three different computers, and it does not work, and that's what you've got to reference to get to the air quality. the air quality reference does, and it's a very good website, but if we could make things easier where you don't have to have an additional click, it might make things easier for the public. but that's just my suggestion. >> clerk: so noted, commissioner, and we'll fix any of those noted issues. thank you. commissioners, i don't see anyone else's hand up. with your permission, commissioner green, can i move to the next item? okay. so next item, number 4, is the

covid-19 update. >> thank you. grant colfax, director of health. we actually have three buckets of updates for you with regard to our covid-19 response, and i know there's a full agenda, so i want to be respectful of your time. but i would -- i was going to review a few slides that -- that -- the standard slides that you're, at this point, familiar with seeing where we stand just in the epidemiology, and give you an update with reference to the state announcement on friday, and we do have an update, i believe, per the commission's request with regard to reopenings and our thinking around that. and [inaudible] is available to

provide that information. so i'll just go through these slides relatively quickly. could we have the next slide, please. so we're up to over 9300 cases of covid-19 diagnosed in the city. you can see that our case count does continue to increase. our deaths are unfortunately at 83 total deaths from covid-19 in san francisco. in terms of our testing, we continue to far exceed our testing goal which we set at 1800 tests a day. our rolling tests a day are 3300 tests, and our seven-day rolling average is 2.6%. you can see we continue to have the inequities in the covid-19 response, particularly