"I did have tears in my eyes!" said Dr. Monica Gandhi of San Francisco General Hospital. Gandhi is referring to her reaction when she saw updated numbers that General now has no COVID-19 hospitalizations.
"It feels like a milestone, there are zero admissions at San Francisco General," says Gandhi.
RELATED: San Francisco loosens dozens of COVID-19 restrictions, prepares for full reopening
The news come just four to five months after what was a very challenging time in the fight against COVID-19.
"I think December and January were our busiest time, when we were facing a third wave of cases, we were extremely busy here in the hospital," says Dr. Vivek Jain, who is the co-director of infection control at SF General. Jain says the huge acceptance of vaccines among San Francisco residents, where 76% of the population has received at least one shot, has helped lead to lower COVID-19 rates citywide and that is reflected at SFGH.
"All my friends have been vaccinated already! Finally feeling good and hopeful," says Sam Pena, who lives in San Francisco.
UCSF representatives tell us they currently have five patients being hospitalized for COVID-19 within their hospitals. Stanford says they also currently have five hospitalized with COVID-19.
San Francisco General had one to two COVID-19 patients over the course of the last several weeks -- and now this.
"Today is just a numeric milestone but I think it's a moment that we can reflect on the progress and commit to making even more progress," says Dr. Jain.
"We are at that point where this is no longer a public health emergency, when you have this many people vaccinated, where you have such few cases and no one sick from this in our hospital... it is just amazing," said Gandhi.
VACCINE TRACKER: How California is doing, when you can get a coronavirus vaccine
Having trouble loading the tracker above? Click here to open it in a new window.
RELATED STORIES & VIDEOS:
- Map shows which counties can, can't reopen under reopening tiers
- Cheat sheet: What you can and can't do after being fully vaccinated
- COVID-19 vaccine: Everything to know about your 2nd Pfizer or Moderna shot
- CA COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: See your status here
- These CA counties are way ahead in vaccinations
- How to register for a COVID-19 vaccine in every Bay Area county
- Map shows everywhere you can get a COVID-19 test in the Bay Area
- Interactive map shows what's closed and what's reopening in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Data tracker: Coronavirus cases, deaths, hospitalizations in every Bay Area county
- COVID-19 Diaries: Personal stories of Bay Area residents during pandemic
- Get the latest updates on California EDD, stimulus checks, unemployment benefits
- Coronavirus origin: Where did COVID-19 come from?
- What is a COVID-19 genetic, antigen and antibody test?
- What does COVID-19 do to your body and why does it spread so easily?
- Coronavirus Timeline: Tracking major moments of COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco Bay Area
- Coronavirus Doctor's Note: Dr. Alok Patel gives his insight into COVID-19 pandemic