San Francisco reports first coronavirus-related death

Health officials Tuesday evening announced the first novel coronavirus-related death in San Francisco.

The Department of Emergency Management said the person was a male in his 40s who had multiple, significant underlying health conditions. No other information about the patient was provided.

Mayor London Breed in a statement:

“My condolences go out to this San Franciscan and their loved ones. It is a sad day, and we need to pull together as a City to do everything in our power to reduce the likelihood of additional deaths in our community.”

Reminding residents to stay at home as The City’s shelter-at-home order remains in place, the mayor said:

“Each of us has the power to save lives and decrease the impact of coronavirus in San Francisco. We need everyone to stay home, which will help protect themselves, their families, and the people in our community who are most at risk of harm from the virus.”

San Francisco has confirmed 152 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday morning.

Dr. Grant Colfax, the head of the Department of Public Health, said in a statement:

“From the beginning of this outbreak, we have focused on protecting vulnerable populations—including people with chronic health conditions—because we know they are at greater risk of getting very sick and even dying from COVID-19.”

Colfax offered condolences on behalf of the department with the following statement:

“On behalf of the Department of Public Health, I extend my sincere condolences to this man’s loved ones. This is a difficult time for our city, but we will get through it together. I strongly urge every San Franciscan to continue staying home to save lives.”

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.