SF HIV cases fell by 19% in 2019
By Liz Highleyman – The Bay Area Reporter
New HIV diagnoses in San Francisco continue to fall but disparities remain, according to the latest HIV epidemiology report from the San Francisco Department of Public Health. While acknowledging last year’s good news, health officials are concerned that the COVID-19 crisis could compromise the city’s progress going forward.
“We’re seeing declines in new diagnoses across most groups, and that means we’re moving in the right direction,” Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax, a gay man hired by Mayor London Breed last year, told the Bay Area Reporter in a Zoom interview. “But just like almost everything else in society, COVID-19 has disrupted our system of HIV prevention and care.”
The new report, released September 10, summarizes new HIV diagnoses during 2019 and care metrics for 2018. The data show a 19% decline in new cases, from 204 in 2018 to 166 in 2019. This follows a 13% decline between 2017 and 2018.