Slowing spread of virus, one person at a time
For contact tracers, communication is key weapon in health war
Contact tracing isn’t a new development springing from the coronavirus pandemic. It’s been a weapon in the public health arsenal for decades to fight infectious diseases like tuberculosis, hepatitis A and sexually transmitted diseases.
A ringing phone signaling a call from the county or state health departments may be heard in more homes as tracers seek to track down who may have come into contact with a person infected with COVID-19.
The Rensselaer County Health Department tracked 80 to 90 communicable diseases before the arrival of COVID-19, said Mary Fran Wachunas, who leads the agency. The difference between contact tracing before COVID-19 and now is the volume of cases being handled, which is compounded because there currently is no vaccine against the novel coronavirus, Wachunas said.
“Contact tracing has been around for 100 years,” Wachunas said.
Rensselaer County, like other counties, has had a small dedicated group of tracers on its staff, usually public health nurses. Due to the pandemic and state requirements, the county now has 56 employees
trained as tracers. Presently, 15 are working as tracers because that’s what the current caseload requires. The others will be called into action if needed.
Each tracer was trained using a Johns Hopkins University program, supplemented by the county health department’s experience and expertise.
The contact tracer’s work begins when a person tests positive for COVID-19. That individual is contacted and the tracer talks to them about going into isolation for 14 days to avoid spreading the disease and asks them for information about the people they were in contact with in the days before they tested positive.
The county’s contact tracers identify themselves as working for the county and why they are calling. As of Tuesday, when Albany
County Health Department tracers call an individual, the caller ID will appear as NYSDOH (New York State Department of Health). The tracer is expected to be professional and emphatic.
The tracer will inform the person that they have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 and will be asked if they have any symptoms. If they do, they are advised to be tested for the disease.
A person who’s been exposed will be told to quarantine for up to 14 days. They will not be told the identity of the person who has the disease. They will be contacted daily by the tracer to make sure they’re staying in quarantine and check for symptoms. If the quarantined person does not have anyone who can shop for them or can’t arrange a food delivery, the contact tracer will use county resources to ensure they have food delivered.
If a quarantined individual is an essential worker, they can report to work but must wear a mask, practice social distancing and obey their workplace rules regarding the virus. They can only travel to and from work and may not stop anywhere else, county officials said.
The strength of the county contact tracing is that it’s all oneto-one contact, Wachunas said.