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March 25, 2020
The Honorable Mike Pence
Vice President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Vice President Pence:
Since January, the City and County of San Francisco has been aggressively preparing for and responding to
the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In addition to declaring a state of emergency in
San Francisco on February 25th, and ordering a Shelter in Place on March 16th, we have worked with our
local, state, and federal partners to do everything we can to protect the public’s health.
On March 5th, San Francisco reported its first two cases of COVID-19. Less than three weeks later, we have
more than 150. Due to our limited testing abilities, we know the 150 diagnosed patients are only a small
portion of people in our community who have COVID-19, and in the next two weeks – or less – we expect a
surge in hospitalizations like every other community where the virus has taken hold. Our government and
our hospital systems are currently stretched and approaching capacity, and we request your immediate
assistance before we hit our peak patient load.
Today, San Francisco hospitals have approximately 1,300 medical-surgical beds and 200 ICU beds. We
have the staffing and supplies we need to care for the initial surge of patients with COVID-19, but as the
Department of Public Health and San Francisco’s hospitals have collectively prepared to care for a much
larger number of patients, it has become clear: we cannot wait any longer for the equipment these additional
patients will need. We need 1,500 more ventilators and 5,000 more beds than we have today, and ask that
our state and federal partners work with us to quickly increase our supply.
In addition, we continue to request support of our state and federal partners in providing:
• Additional Personal Protective Equipment (N-95 masks, face shields, gowns, and gloves);
• Testing kits and related materials;
• Health care staffing; and
• Accompanying regulatory changes to support our surge capability.
We thank you for your partnership in these challenging times. Only by working together can we address this
crisis head-on, and the level of resources, expertise, and operational support cannot come from San
Francisco alone. We urgently need your assistance today and we respectfully request that your
Administration, the Members of the Coronavirus Task Force, and staff work directly with our Department
of Public Health to develop, fund, and support our patient surge plan. There is no time to waste as we are
facing a pandemic of unprecedented proportions.
Sincerely,

London N. Breed
Mayor
1 DR. CARLTON B. GOODLETT PLACE, ROOM 200
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94102-4681
TELEPHONE: (415) 554-6141

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cc: The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Jackie Speier, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senate
The Honorable Kamala Harris, U.S. Senate

1 DR. CARLTON B. GOODLETT PLACE, ROOM 200
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94102-4681
TELEPHONE: (415) 554-6141