SCVNews.com | Contact tracking slows COVID-19 spread

When it comes to stopping the epidemic of COVID-19, public health experts agree that contact tracing of potentially infected people plays a key role.

“This means that we follow up on all those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 positives and know that they must be self-isolated.” Being able to get in touch with close contacts, their close contacts know they have to quarantine (on their own). “

This tracking of contacts can help public health officials curb the spread of COVID-19, prevent surges in medical capacity, and allow changes in home care discipline. Authorities plan to resume the economy as California began.

Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced that he would team up with UC San Francisco and UC Los Angeles to immediately begin training workers to track the spread of the virus across the state.

Newsom’s program aims to build an army of 20,000 tracers in two months, with trained workers deployed in different counties throughout the state, hoping to contain the virus. is.

Much of this work can be done via phone, text, email, or chat, according to a California Department of Health official, and a new state-wide database will help track infected people and their contacts. Useful

Nonetheless, LA County, along with 22 of the other 60 local health departments in California, is actively tracking contact with people who test positive for COVID-19.

In fact, Ferrer said that about a quarter of 4,000 public health officials in Los Angeles County had not been issued a “Safer at Home” order, including the positive results reported here in Santa Clarita Valley. COVID-19 Says you are tracking a patient.

“Thanks to the Governor for expanding the capacity of all counties who have more resources to do contact tracking,” Ferrer said. “We are the largest county. In most cases. We continue to need a lot of resources, but we welcome the efforts of the Governor and through all these we have a very good partner, State Health. We work very closely with the bureau … and we do a really great job. “

These tracers are divided into two teams. The large team focuses on follow-up of all positive COVID-19 test results, while the other teams focus on investigating cases in facilities such as skilled nursing homes, nursing homes, orthotics. .

“Obviously, as we grow, we need more people,” Ferrer added. “In fact, many are on reassignment and are trained, including some from other county departments who keep track of contacts as we speak.”

For each positive result, the tracer interviews them, identifies with whom they interacted, and then informs them that they should be quarantined or quarantined.

Ferrer estimates that tracers reach somewhere between 80% and 85% of positive people. “If we can’t get in touch, it’s because they either didn’t get a phone call for three days or they don’t have the proper contact information.”

According to Ferrer, the tracer had to contact an average of 8 people for each positive result before the home restrictions were enforced, but it dropped to an average of 5 people per order since the order took effect. did.

“If we have 1,000 new cases a day, we need to contact 5,000,” she said, adding that she expects that number to increase to 8 as the limits are relaxed. “We also track information that, as a county, together helps us understand how effectively we are delaying the spread of COVID-19 because we are seeing a spike in the number of cases. Instead, you can rest assured that you will continue to relax. “

However, Ferrer reminded the public that deregulation did not mean that the virus was gone or that lethality and infectivity were not reduced.

“The virus is working in a very similar way to what it was doing in March,” she said. “If people are in close contact with each other, it can infect many people, and for some people it can be very dangerous and even fatal. And remember that information. You must keep it. ”