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San Francisco health officials warn of fast-moving Omicron surge; public raises EPIC privacy breach allegations
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Summary
Director Colfax warned the city to prepare for rapid Omicron growth and urged boosters; public commenter alleged EPIC privacy vulnerabilities tied to identity theft for nine DPH doctors, prompting commissioner requests for departmental follow-up.
San Francisco’s Director of Health, Dr. Grant Colfax, told the Health Commission the city is facing a rapidly accelerating Omicron wave and emphasized boosters, testing and masking as immediate priorities.
Colfax said the city is "on the brink of a very large increase in Omicron cases" and told the commissioners his team expects cases could double "every 2 to 3 days." He emphasized that boosters substantially restore vaccine protection and urged eligible residents and healthcare workers to be boosted to reduce hospitalizations.
Why it matters: City-level increases in cases and hospitalizations can strain care capacity and the city’s public-health response. Boosters and multilayered mitigation — masking, testing and vaccination — were presented as the best available tools to limit severe outcomes while the science on Omicron severity evolves.
Operational guidance and questions: Colfax and Health Officer Dr. Susan Philip recommended layering boosters and masking and said the department will use its web and social channels to point people to booster availability. Dr. Philip explained that guidance on quarantine, testing windows after exposure and how to handle rapid-test positives is evolving; symptomatic people who test positive should isolate, she said, and the department is monitoring whether and how isolation duration guidance should change for vaccinated or boosted people.
Public privacy allegation raised: During general public comment, Dr. Victoria Baraben alleged DPH EPIC privacy vulnerabilities and said nine DPH doctors "had their identity stolen" after employee medical and demographic data were exposed in the electronic record. She asked the department to partner with the union to hire a cybercrime investigator and to consider storing occupational health records on paper rather than EPIC.
Response and status: Commissioners acknowledged the privacy allegation and reiterated that the department is working on prior privacy concerns; no technical rebuttal or forensic update was provided on the record during this meeting. Commissioners asked DPH to follow up and to provide clearer public-facing guidance about what to do after a positive test.
Ending: The commission asked DPH to correct a slide error before archiving materials, to publicize easy-to-find instructions on the city website for people who test positive, and to report back on privacy and operational mitigation steps as they develop.
