SF Health Department says Omicron surge nearing peak as Tenderloin Linkage Center opens

San Francisco Department of Public Health Director Grant Colfax told the Health Commission on Jan. 13 that the city is experiencing "the most severe surge yet," with a case rate of about 192 per 100,000 and a positivity rate near 19.5 percent, though he said the curve may be starting to level.

Colfax highlighted the opening that morning of the Tenderloin Linkage Center at 1170 Market Street, saying "people are walking into the center being provided with services" and that the center is already receiving referrals for behavioral-health treatment and medical care. He credited DPH staff and partners for standing up the site quickly.

On hospital capacity, Colfax said there were 229 COVID-positive patients hospitalized as of Jan. 13 and cautioned that hospital reports lag. He emphasized that many hospitalized patients who test positive are admitted for non-COVID reasons but still require extra resources while positive: "If they test positive and they don't have symptoms, that's good from a medical perspective, but from a healthcare system perspective, there's still a substantial burden there." He added the department expects hospital numbers to rise after cases peak.

Health Officer Dr. Susan Philip told the commission that a health officer order requiring outpatient testing availability went into effect and that DPH began receiving reporting the same day; she said the department will monitor improvements and requested biweekly reporting. On schools, Philip described state guidance that accepts "group tracing" in classrooms for Omicron, treating an entire classroom as potentially exposed and recommending testing while allowing students to remain in class unless they test positive.

Susan Ehrlich, CEO at the operator for Zuckerberg San Francisco General, told commissioners hospitals are strained primarily in medical-surgical capacity and discharge pathways due to outbreaks and staffing shortages at post-acute facilities. She reported the hospital had 278 staff out that day and described use of state "test-to-work" guidance while remaining "a little bit more conservative" in some return-to-work decisions.

Colfax urged continued emphasis on boosters and vaccination, citing citywide coverage—"81 percent of vaccine completed" overall and booster coverage of roughly 61 percent—and said treatments such as Paxlovid remain limited but supplies should improve. He said DPH is distributing rapid tests to community partners and essential workers and that the department is planning for multiple scenarios as the virus evolves.

The commission also noted the federal program to order four free at-home COVID tests per household at covidtests.gov, and commissioners said they had successfully ordered tests.

The Health Commission did not take further action on these updates; DPH staff said they will return with additional data and operational updates as they continue to track cases, hospitalizations and testing compliance.