Cooperation urged with contact tracers

To continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Montgomery County, officials pleaded with citizens to cooperate if they get a phone call from contact tracers.

“I cannot stress enough how important it is to cooperate with our contact tracers. These conversations are confidential and they’re non-judgmental,” county Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh said during a news briefing this week. “It is absolutely critical to the suppression of the coronavirus in our region that we get 100 percent cooperation with contact tracing.”

Contact tracing involves identifying those with who an infected person has been in close contact so they can self-quarantine to help prevent the spread of the

coronavirus.

Arkoosh said there have been reports that some individuals who’ve been to parties or other gatherings during their infectious periods have been unwilling to share with contact tracers the identities of others who attended particular events.

“And what they do is they tell our contact tracers they will let people know that they might have been exposed and they sort of take on that burden of letting people know. We appreciate that, but it’s not adequate,” said Arkoosh, adding it’s important that all information comes from the trained contact tracers and not from “a friend of a friend trying to be a good citizen.”

It is the contact tracers who can officially inform an individual of their requirement to quarantine due to exposure to COVID-19, Arkoosh explained.

“Our contact tracers are able to answer any questions that the individual has about COVID-19, what symptoms they should look for, whether or not they should get tested, things like that,” Arkoosh said. “If the contact tracer can’t answer the question, they can refer them for additional guidance.

“Very importantly, the contact tracers will ask if the individual is able to safely quarantine in their home. There are many reasons why someone may not be able to do that,” Arkoosh added.

For instance, officials said, a person might have someone living in their household with a very serious medical problem and who would be at high risk for a serious case of the virus if that infected person remained in the household. Or, perhaps an individual doesn’t have a separate room in their home to which they can retreat in order to quarantine.

“If a person cannot safely quarantine in their home, then the contact tracers will offer them no-cost alternatives so that we can get them safely housed during their period of quarantine. Also, additional supports can be arranged, such as helping with food delivery or other unmet needs,” Arkoosh said.

“We understand that you could get a call out of the blue that you need to quarantine and you may not have enough food in your refrigerator to get you through two weeks. So, we’re here to help with that and we will make sure that you do,” Arkoosh said.

The more that people can cooperate, the better, Arkoosh stressed.

The county has partnered with four nonprofit organizations, ACLAMO, Family Services of Montgomery County, Visiting Nurses Association Community Services (VNA), and Montgomery OIC, which have employed highly trained and skilled contact tracers.

Officials said if residents see ACLAMO or VNA appear in the caller identification systems on their phones, they should answer those calls. Arkoosh, said, the two other organizations, as well as the county Office of Public Health, may appear in caller-ID systems as “Unknown.”

“If you know you’ve been tested or believe you may have been around someone who’s tested positive and you see ‘Unknown’ come up in your phone, we would be grateful if you would answer the phone and work with our individuals who will identify themselves as contact tracers,” Arkoosh explained.

Through COVID-19 contact tracing the organizations will not only help stop the spread of disease but will also ensure that those individuals and families who are impacted will get the support and services they need to stay safe and healthy, officials said.

The latest data suggests that county residents are reducing the spread of the virus by practicing social distancing and wearing masks.

The overall positivity rate, taking into account all county residents who were tested for the virus between March 13 and July 17, was 3.54 percent, according to the data. Arkoosh explained that having a positivity rate less than 5 percent indicates the virus is being suppressed.

To keep the positivity rate below 5 percent, Arkoosh stressed residents should continue to abide by all mask wearing and social distancing recommendations.

But cooperation with contact tracers is equally important in the fight to suppress the virus, officials said.

County health officials conducted contact tracing in the early days of the pandemic in March when the first few cases of the virus were identified, but tracing was discontinued when community spread became evident and the number of positive cases surged.

Contact tracing was reinstituted again in late May.

Contact tracing is an important component of Gov. Tom Wolf’s color-coded plan to reopen the state, which is being implemented in phases. State officials recommended a number of things must be in place in counties.

Officials consider a county’s hospitalization rates, the availability of personal protective equipment for hospital employees and ventilators and the availability of a robust testing and contact tracing program.

Without adequate testing and contact tracing, health officials believe it will be difficult to uncover infections and identify clusters before they lead to more widespread outbreaks.