Neglect kills

Once again the Latino Task Force for Covid-19, in partnership with health researchers from UCSF, carried out coronavirus testing for three days this week at the 24th Street BART plaza.

Once again the findings from the 1650 tests administered were horrifying. According to a report in Mission Local, some 9-10 percent of people tested showed up positive. This contrasts with a purported 2 percent positivity rate for the city as a whole. Previous testing in the neighborhood has shown that among those showing the markers of the disease, as many as 80 percent were Latinx. Jobs that are deemed "essential work" and living in crowded households has put the Mission community at risk.

“I was so upset and so angry, knowing that here we are, in December, with the same [results] we had in April — and the city has done virtually nothing for the community that’s been hit hardest,” said Jon Jacobo, a member of the Latino Task Force, a coalition of Mission District community organizations formed to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. ... the city has yet to distribute any Covid-19 funds to the Latino Task Force. “We’re still waiting on grant money to support community wellness,” Jacobo said.

If the city can't take up its public health responsibilities itself, it should fund those in the community who are doing the work they have a right to expect from their government.