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DPH deputy outlines contact-tracing system, flags testing delays and equity gaps
Summary
Deputy Health Officer Susan Phillip told the San Francisco Health Commission the city's case investigation and contact-tracing work has continued uninterrupted since March using the Comcare system, but testing delays and structural barriers—especially for nonhousehold contacts and marginalized communities—are hampering efforts to meet a 90% reach goal.
Susan Phillip, deputy health officer who directs the disease prevention and control branch at the Department of Public Health, briefed the San Francisco Health Commission on July 7 about the city's case investigation and contact-tracing program.
Phillip said the department has sustained continuous case investigation and contact tracing since the outbreak began in March by using a centralized database called Comcare, provided by Dimagi. "Comcare has been really a key tool that has enabled us to do this work and go back and measure our outcomes," she said.
Phillip summarized how the program works and why it matters: cases (people who test positive) are interviewed about close contacts, those contacts are notified and urged to quarantine, and wraparound supports are offered to help people isolate safely. The DPH prioritizes "client-centered" interviews and language concordance so people can get services, she said.
On staffing and capacity, Phillip said the DPH frontline…
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