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Mayor Breed: San Francisco moving to orange tier as vaccinations accelerate; officials urge continued caution
Summary
Mayor London Breed and public health officials said San Francisco moved into the state's orange tier as vaccination rates rose and hospitalizations fell; city officials said supply—not capacity—remains the limiting factor for faster vaccination.
Mayor London Breed and city health officials said San Francisco has moved into California's orange tier and is accelerating COVID-19 vaccinations, but cautioned that vaccine supply remains the primary constraint on reaching higher coverage.
"We are moving right along with vaccinating people at a rapid pace," Mayor London Breed said at a public briefing that included Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson and San Francisco Department of Public Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax. Breed cited neighborhood progress for seniors and described reopening steps now allowed in the orange tier.
Dr. Grant Colfax said San Francisco's hospital census and case counts have fallen sharply from the winter surge. "Our hospital census is the lowest it's been in over 4 months. Today with just 35 patients across our city's hospitals, in the hospital due to COVID 19. And even also good news, we're average averaging just 31 cases of COVID 19 a day," Colfax said. He added the city averages about 8,600 vaccine doses administered per day and that the system has the capacity to deliver up to 20,000 doses daily if supply increases.
The mayor and city officials listed some of the immediate operational changes tied to the orange tier: museums and indoor dining increasing to 50% capacity and office buildings reopening to 25% capacity. Breed said those changes could help downtown businesses, and she urged residents to continue masking, distancing and getting vaccinated when eligible.
Jeff Lawson, Twilio's chief executive, praised local public-health leadership and said Twilio remains committed to San Francisco as its headquarters. Rodney Fong, president and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, urged vigilance while welcoming steps to reopen offices and support small businesses.
City officials warned that new variants and outbreaks elsewhere pose risks. Dr. Colfax said the city is "close to the finish line" but urged residents to continue safety measures and testing where appropriate. Officials did not announce new vaccine-allocation changes; they repeated that supply—not local capacity—limits vaccinations at present.
The briefing closed with calls to remain cautious as the city reopens further and with thanks to vaccination partners including Kaiser and UCSF that were named by officials.
