Contact Tracing 101: Mechanics, Recruiters, Why It’s Important in Fighting Coronaviruses

One of the most important battles against the coronavirus, thousands of Americans could soon join the ranks of disease detectives.

Contact tracking helped slow or stop previous outbreaks such as SARS and Ebola. But nothing more important than this fight against the coronavirus.

Here’s how contact tracking works and why it’s so important.

What exactly is a contact trace?

Contact tracing tracks people who may have been recently infected with someone who has been diagnosed, allowing them to quarantine themselves and prevent further spread.

“Contact tracking allows public health staff to work with patients to remind everyone who had close contacts during the potentially infected period,” said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. .

“Contacts are provided with education, information, and support to understand their risks, what to do to separate themselves from others who have not been exposed, whether they are ill or not. You can monitor and spread the infection to others, even yourself, don’t feel bad. “

This is a daunting task, but tracking contacts is Helped prevent the spread of SARS in 2004.

But the CDC said it needed immediate action. “Communities need to work together across government and private agencies to scale up and train the workforce of large contact tracers and stop the transmission of COVID-19,” says the new Coronavirus. It is a disease that is caused.

Why is contact tracking so important now?

Researchers say it can’t be safely resumed in the United States, or in virtually any country, without tracking and testing large numbers of contacts.

Without them, we would be at risk of recurrent disease-not only fall, but next year, “he said. Josh Michaud, Deputy Director, World Health Policy At Kaiser Family Foundation.

How does the process work?

Amy Driscoll, a survivor of the coronavirus, was called by the County Department of Health two hours after returning home from the hospital.

A long list of questions to follow: “Who have you seen in the last two weeks? Where have you been in the last two weeks? Who did I contact? Where do you work?” Doris Cole recalled.

Then I had to contact her colleague in Ohio. So was the restaurant she went to for lunch. And the beauty salon she visited. And those who sat near her in the Cleveland Cavaliers match.

However, even if the contact information is given, it is not known who was diagnosed with the coronavirus.

“To protect patient privacy, The contact will only be notified that the patient may have been contacted Says the CDC. “They are not informed of the patient who may have exposed them.”

How do people get notified?

Contact tracers use a variety of methods including phone calls, emails, and social media messaging.

Some places have become creative. In North Dakota, health authorities have partnered with the creator of App used to track bison Launch a new app called Care19.

Users who downloaded Care19 get a random ID number and “the app anonymously caches personal locations throughout the day.” North Dakota Coronavirus Response Website Is called.

“If an individual responds positively to COVID-19, they will be given the opportunity to agree to provide information to NDDoH, helping them track their contacts and predict accurate real-time data of pandemic progress.”

Under development by Apple and Google New contact tracking technology Use smartphones and Bluetooth technology to alert people who may be near an infected person.

But the new technology has its limits. User must opt ​​inAnd, it’s not clear if enough people will do so to make that effort worthwhile. And those who do not have a smartphone will not be notified.

How many contact tracers are there?

Prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus, the total number of existing disease detectives in the United States was only 2,200. National Union of STD Directors.

About 1600 of these disease detectives are members of a coalition funded by the CDC and usually combating the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

But most of them have been relocated to track coronavirus contacts, Harvey said.

“Every time there is an outbreak, they are relocated to Zika, Ebola, and food poisoning outbreaks,” Harvey said. “This is an integral public health workforce.”

Are there enough contact tracers?

No. A recent study published by Johns Hopkins University estimates US needs At least 100,000 additional health workers Helps track contacts.

And it could be a low estimate, Anita Cicero, deputy director, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security And co-author of the study. She said the United States would probably need more than 100,000, but that’s a good start to help the more affected areas.

Former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said the US could require “hundreds of thousands” of contact tracers.

Problem: “In both state and county local public health, we do not have the resources or people needed to perform contact tracing for all identified cases,” Cicero said.

But, CARES method Harvey said he expects to pay thousands of more contact tracers. It can help some of many Americans fired during coronavirus pandemic.

How can I apply to become a contact tracer?

“There is no focused approach to the recruitment process, so people have to go to state and local health departments or the CDC Foundation,” Harvey said.

“Most state and county health departments are currently looking for jobs,” he said.

“You can go to the State Health Department website to find a job offer. You can also go to CDC Foundation website. “

What kind of education do I need to be a contact tracer?

“Having a public health or healthcare background is useful,” Harvey said. Fluency in multiple languages ​​is also helpful.

But, “whatever your background is, you can train it to do this job,” Harvey said.

Your state and local health departments may have different requirements. of CDC Foundation jobs A bachelor’s degree is required for contact tracking candidates.

How Much does a Contact Tracer Get Paid?

“Contact tracers aren’t paid enough,” Harvey said. “The average US salary is $ 35,000 per year.”

However, it is not yet clear how many new contact tracers will be adopted in different parts of the country.

What do the contacted tracers say to potentially exposed people?

Sensitivity is important because it’s not easy to hear that Harvey may have been infected with a coronavirus.

“People are usually” You may have been exposed. We recommend that you quarantine for the next 14 days. You can take a test here. What questions can you answer? Has been in close proximity so far, and please teach people that we will work together to inform these people, “he said.

Who leads contact tracking across the United States

There is no central authority to oversee all contact tracking. Rather, it is a mixture of state and local medical departments, non-profit organizations, private organizations, and universities.

One of the largest programs is New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Lifesaving Initiative, and Bloomberg Philanthropy. $ 10.5 million for new contact tracking program.

Boston-based non-profit organization in Massachusetts Health partner Has partnered with the State Department of Health to enhance contact tracking.

In San Francisco, the public health department has partnered with the University of California, San Francisco and with CDC to partner with DIMAGI. Digitize your workflow and monitoring.

Why is coronavirus contact tracking so difficult?

This new coronavirus is very infectious — About twice as infectious as influenza. Johns Hopkins study estimates each person infected with coronavirus Infects a few other peopleFinding everyone who may be infected is very difficult.

This coronavirus can also Spread by asymptomatic people who don’t look or feel goodSo, some carriers don’t even know they are infected.

Unlike contact tracking for other types of disorders, Covid-19 is a respiratory disorder. Therefore, contact tracers can’t knock people’s doors like other outbreaks, Harvey said.

Is contact tracking really useful?

“No doubt, contact tracking works,” Harvey said.

Several The most successful countries in the fight against the coronavirus Uses extensive contact tracking. By quickly identifying contacts, potentially infected individuals were able to quarantine themselves and prevent the virus from spreading to others.

However, many Americans are already quarantined under home orders, and you might be wondering how some contact tracking is now.

“This is a strategy that is closely related to the economic recovery and is reducing ongoing isolation recommendations,” Harvey said.

“When people leave home and come back to work and start resuming part of their normal lives, this feature is essential to measuring outbreaks and alerting people to our intervention. “