DPH director reports rising COVID cases, booster uptake and expansion of Abundant Birth Project

At the Dec. 20 San Francisco Health Commission meeting Dr. Navina Baba delivered the Director’s Report, highlighting near‑term public‑health concerns and community outreach efforts.

Baba said COVID‑19 cases were increasing in San Francisco and the region and offered an updated hospitalization count: 114 individuals hospitalized with COVID as of Dec. 16, including 13 in intensive care. She reported that 283,966 San Franciscans had received the bivalent booster, representing about 32% of the city’s population, and described ongoing public‑education efforts, social‑media toolkits and community and school pop‑up vaccination events targeted to priority neighborhoods.

DPH said it has temporarily increased screening and testing at Laguna Honda (twice weekly) and is encouraging staff and residents to get bivalent boosters and flu shots. DPH also emphasized low utilization of COVID therapies and said it is working to improve access to test‑to‑treat resources and rapid test distribution.

Baba highlighted two program items: the Abundant Birth Project, a basic‑income pilot for pregnant people in partnership with UCSF and Expecting Justice that the presenter said has been recognized by the state as promising and will be piloted statewide; and a holiday distribution led by the San Francisco African American Faith‑Based Coalition and DPH that provided food and resources to more than 6,700 households.

Commissioners welcomed the Abundant Birth Project expansion and asked follow‑up questions about outreach and booster messaging. No formal action was taken on the Director’s Report; the commission invited further updates at future meetings.