DPH director reports declining MPOX and expands vaccine eligibility; public pushes for Laguna Honda recertification updates

Director of Health Grant Colfax delivered the Department of Public Health's director's report at the Sept. 6 Health Commission meeting, reporting encouraging trends on MPox (referred to as "MPox" in the meeting) and steps on COVID‑19 prevention while fielding repeated public requests for more frequent updates on Laguna Honda Hospital (LHH).

On MPox, Colfax said the city had logged cases as of Aug. 30 and was seeing signs the increase was leveling off. "We have given over 21,000 vaccines in total," he said, and DPH was preparing to expand eligibility and offer second doses for those more than 28 days past their first dose. Colfax said DPH expected to receive an additional allotment of 13,000 doses and that more than 95% of doses received through Aug. 26 had been administered.

On COVID‑19, Colfax reported the seven‑day rolling average of new cases at 152 and noted 62 people were hospitalized, including 12 in intensive care; he said roughly 85% of San Franciscans had completed primary vaccination and 75% had received at least an initial booster. Colfax cited the recent FDA and CDC action on updated bivalent boosters and said DPH expected to have the boosters available "at the latest by Sept. 17." He described aligning DPH school guidance with the California Department of Public Health's threshold (schools should notify DPH when at least 5% of a site's population reports suspected or confirmed COVID‑19 cases over a two‑week period).

Public commenters used the director's report segment to press for more information about Laguna Honda Hospital's CMS recertification efforts and staffing. Brenda Barrows, a DPH employee, described the recent death of a colleague and attributed part of the incident to workplace harassment and training shortfalls. Other callers, including Patrick Manette Shaw and Dr. Teresa Palmer, asked why LHH recertification progress was not being reported twice monthly and warned against discharging skilled nursing residents prematurely. Several speakers urged the commission to make LHH a standing, frequent agenda item and sought clarity about whether interim administrative roles were being filled by HSAG consultants at the rates cited in public comments.

Secretary Moriwitz clarified that the HSAG contract amendment had been included in the August contracts report and discussed in the Finance and Planning Committee; nevertheless, multiple callers sought more direct reporting at full commission meetings.

The commission took no new formal action on LHH at the Sept. 6 meeting but acknowledged public concern and the need for continued updates. The director's report will be followed by questions from commissioners and future updates that will include MPox and COVID metrics.

Next steps: DPH indicated continued vaccine distribution, expanded MPox eligibility and second‑dose availability; commissioners requested better trend summaries for COVID and ongoing updates on LHH recertification progress.