At a press conference on Friday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed shared the struggles that city staff still face in acquiring personal protective equipment, or PPE -- much of which is imported to the U.S. from countries like China. PPE is a catch-all term that includes N95 and surgical-grade masks, gloves, gowns and visors.
"We've had issues of our orders being relocated by suppliers in China... For example, we've had issues with isolation gowns that were on their way to San Francisco and diverted to France," she said.
Breed described other cases where items that had gone through customs were confiscated by FEMA and diverted to other locations.
"Those items have been taken and put out on the market for the highest bidder -- pitting cities against cities and states against states. It has been really, I gotta tell you, one of the most frustrating things to deal with," Breed added, placing blame squarely on the federal government and its "lack of coordination" in this area.
The city's frustrations were compounded this week by new or worsening outbreaks at three shelters or long-term care facilities.
Four people have died at Central Gardens Convalescent Hospital, a senior nursing facility in the Fillmore District.
The city confirmed its second COVID-positive case at Division Circle Navigation Center, an emergency shelter on Van Ness. Testing of remaining guests and staff is underway, and the city is emptying out the shelter and placing people in isolation hotels, single room occupancy hotels , or other shelters.
And this week, 22 residents and two staff tested positive at Casa Quezada, a supportive housing facility in the Mission District. The San Francisco Department of Public Health confirmed the first case on April 13. But it wasn't until April 19 that the city tested all the staff and residents.
"We were as timely and responsive as our testing systems allowed," said Dr. Grant Colfax, who directs the Department of Public Health.
"We are continuing to see impacts on our most vulnerable populations," he added. "We know outbreaks are likely to continue as long as the virus is here in our community."
— Julia Scott (@juliascribe)