Oakland testing blitz reveals antibody rate
Fruitvale event shows many likely were infected
A coronavirus testing blitz in Oakland’s Fruitvale district revealed high antibody positivity rates among the neighborhood’s Latino and Indigenous residents, indicating many were likely infected with the coronavirus in the past.
Participants of the study showed an overall antibody positivity rate of 10%. But Latinos had a positivity rate of 12%, compared with 27% among Mayan residents, UCSF said Friday.
UCSF spearheaded the initiative with a coalition of Oakland community organizations. They aimed to track the illness — and its socioeconomic impact — in this predominantly lowincome, Latino neighborhood that has struggled with a disproportionately high number of infections since the start of the pandemic.
Of the 1,099 people who received nose swabs in Fruitvale on Sept. 26 and 27, including 144 children, 39 tested positive for the coronavirus — an overall positivity rate of 3.5%, researchers said.
About 97% of the people who tested positive were Latino, though they made up just 62% of those tested, UCSF said.
Meanwhile, 78 adults and six children tested positive for the COVID19 antibody, signaling previous infection.
The data confirm that “Latinos in the East Bay are disproportionately infected with COVID19,” said Dr. Alicia Fernández, a professor of medicine and director of the UCSF Latinx Center of Excellence, in a statement.
“Our data further identifies the Mamspeaking, Mayan population as particularly high risk within the Latino community. More testing and targeted public health messaging are needed, as are efforts to make essential work safer.”
The low positivity rate and high prevalence of antibodies among
participants indicates the community is at the tail end of its virus outbreak, in line with the county’s overall trend, researchers said.
But Fruitvale still accounts for a significant portion of Oakland’s roughly 8,700 coronavirus cases, according to the most recent data from the Alameda County Public Health Department.
The city’s 94601 ZIP code — which includes Fruitvale — had a case rate of 4,222 per 100,000 people as of Friday morning. That’s nearly twice Oakland’s case rate of 2,078. Alameda County has an overall case rate of 1,357 per 100,000 people, the data show.
Latinos account for about half of the county’s infections, a troubling trend that has persisted across the Bay Area, even as many regions move toward reopening their economies.
Lowincome Latinos who work essential jobs and live in crowded housing to afford the Bay Area’s high rents remain among the most vulnerable to COVID19. Yet testing sites are often hard to find in lowincome neighborhoods — a problem that has plagued Fruitvale, organizers said.
Of the 29 adults who tested positive in the UCSF initiative, 41% said they live in a home with six or more people. An estimated 35% were uninsured, UCSF said.
Oakland — and in particular Fruitvale — is home to a significant Mam population, a Mayan subgroup largely from western Guatemala that, like Latinos, has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We knew that the
Mayan community, our Mamspeaking patients, were being disproportionately affected and this confirmed that,” said Jane Garcia, CEO of La Clínica de La Raza, a network of health clinics that treat underserved patients throughout the East Bay.
Because they are often grouped in with Latinos, data on Mayan populations are difficult to come by. And because resources and educational messaging are often in Spanish, Indigenous people don’t always get the help they need, experts said.
“It is not new that we are the underserved and one of the most vulnerable groups in the area, and now with COVID19 we are facing an even greater crisis especially with access to health services, housing, food and financial support,” Rosendo Aguilar, a Fruitvale resident and Mam speaker, said in a statement.
Researchers on Friday revealed the results of the testing initiative during a news conference outside of La Clínica de La Raza health center with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. The Unity Council, a nonprofit that aids lowincome families, immigrants and seniors in
Fruitvale, also helped lead the initiative.
Health leaders said they were most alarmed by the high prevalence of food insecurity among participants: 42% of Latinos said they faced food insecurity, compared with 30% of nonLatinos.
An estimated 15% said they lost their jobs because of the pandemic and more than 25% reported loss in income, the study showed.
“We know that people are having trouble getting food, but we were really surprised at how prevalent that issue was with families,” Garcia said. “It’s something that we hope to target more in our efforts.”
About half of the people tested said they live in Fruitvale, 14% said they work in the neighborhood and 21% of participants said they were visiting that day.
Alameda County advanced to California’s lessrestrictive orange tier for economic reopening this week, allowing for a larger number of people to gather for indoor dining, religious services and more.