Respecting Others During the Pandemic: Testing Options for San Franciscans

Respect in this case means doing the best we can with what we have. 

Does everyone have an opinion about the pandemic? Sure. Is the information presented the most clear or accurate? Probably not. Can we control how our governments and communities react? Not really. 

What we can do is acknowledge that people are being affected by COVID-19 and take the precautions we can to reduce positive testing. This allows us to:

1. Help people avoid the extreme and negative consequences of COVID-19 infection
2. Local businesses and economies to remain open

Get Tested

According to the San Francisco government site, anyone living in San Francisco can get tested if they either:

• Have one symptom, or
• Have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 within the past 14 days

Symptoms of COVID-19:

• You have a fever over 100.4° Fahrenheit or 38.0° Celsius
• You’re shivering a lot
• You have a cough
• It’s hard to breathe
• You feel tired or sore
• You can’t smell or taste anything
• Your throat hurts
• Your head hurts
• You have a runny or stuffy nose
• You have diarrhea, feel sick to your stomach, or throw up

For essential and frontline workers:Any essential or frontline worker can get tested, regardless of symptoms or exposure. 
A frontline or essential worker is anyone who leaves their home for work and at least one of the following:

• Interacts in person with members of the public, or
• Cannot maintain physical distancing at their jobs, or
• Works directly with vulnerable populations (such as those who are experiencing homelessness, have serious medical conditions, or who are over age 60)

Workers may work for a private organization/company, a small business, a nonprofit, a public entity, or The City and County of San Francisco. Active volunteers who meet the criteria are also eligible.

You can find a comprehensive list of testing sites here.

My experience with One Medical and Quest Diagnostics

I can tell you from personal experience that testing for active infection at One Medical is free. Antibody testing, however, ranges between $75-$125 with or without insurance. I have found similar pricing at Quest Diagnostics. Testing procedures at both locations have been well run, cleanly, and timely. 

Are Antibody Tests Valid?

The accuracy of these tests is still being studied by researchers at UCSF and UC Berkeley:

“A project launched by UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley scientists to evaluate some of the more than 120 available antibody test kits – only a handful of which have received Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration – should provide the test performance data these doctors and public health officials need to decide which tests to employ and to understand how reliable the results are. The work is supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub (CZ Biohub), Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and other local donors.

In head-to-head comparisons of a dozen tests, the researchers have already found that many of the tests performed reasonably well, especially two weeks or more after infection, when levels of antibodies in the blood begin to peak. But many of the test kits have false positive rates that may exceed the proportion of people who have been infected in some communities. That means that a large proportion of those testing positive on an antibody test may not actually have had COVID-19.”

Bottom Line: Wear a mask and practice social distancing.
Reduced positive tests allow us to protect those who are at higher risk and allow local economies to continue to open.

Bottom bottom line: Take time to focus on your health.
Get outside, eat some healthy things, exercise. Take time to take care of yourself and your mental health.
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