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News Articles: contact tracing

Contact tracing programs around the country have been struggling to keep up with demand during the last several coronavirus surges. Here, contact tracer Cherie Hunter works from her home in Tinley Park, Ill., to reach people who have tested positive for COVID-19.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

If you tested positive and the contact tracer never called, here's why

Swamped by thousands of calls a day, contact tracing programs have been forced to adapt. Even though they can't call everyone, experts say it's too early to give up on this pillar of disease control.

February 09, 2022
|
By:
  • Selena Simmons-Duffin
A data scientist working in tech, Michael Donnelly became an amateur COVID-19 watcher early in the pandemic. When his vaccinated friends started getting sick following July Fourth festivities in Provincetown, Mass., he documented more than 50 breakthrough cases that ultimately led the CDC to changing its guidance on masking.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

How A Gay Community Helped The CDC Spot A COVID Outbreak — And Learn More About Delta

When his friends started to get sick after a week of parties, Michael Donnelly started keeping track. His work — and his community's willingness to help — led the CDC to a major pandemic discovery.

August 06, 2021
|
By:
  • Selena Simmons-Duffin
In 2020, many state and local health departments ramped up hiring staff to do contact tracing. Joseph Ortiz was working as a contact tracer in New York City last summer.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Why Contact Tracing Couldn't Keep Up With The U.S. COVID Outbreak

Despite a massive hiring push last year, health agencies around the U.S. failed to contain the pandemic through contact tracing. Health leaders reflect on lessons learned and what's next.

June 03, 2021
|
By:
  • Selena Simmons-Duffin
Gaylord High School principal Chris Hodges measures the space between seats in a yearbook class. A student in the class tested positive for covid, and Hodges is working with the local health department to trace people who might have been exposed to her at school.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

A Principal And His Tape Measure: Schools Are Helping Do COVID-19 Contact Tracing

Struggling to keep up with a COVID-19 surge in Michigan, overwhelmed local health departments turned to schools, and recruited principals and teachers as supplemental contact tracers.

May 14, 2021
|
By:
  • Brett Dahlberg

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Groceries And Rent Money: Why Support For COVID Isolation Is More Important Than Ever

If we want life to get back to normal in the U.S., public health experts say we can't just rely on COVID-19 vaccines. Other tools like contact tracing and care coordination are crucial too.

March 19, 2021
|
By:
  • Selena Simmons-Duffin
Singapore's TraceTogether program has been a factor in the country's success in managing the coronavirus. But officials now acknowledge its contact-tracing data can be requested by police in criminal investigations.

Tagged as: 

  • Asia

Singapore Says COVID-19 Contact-Tracing Data Can Be Requested By Police

The government had previously said data collected by its widely used app would only be used for contact tracing. The program is seen as a key part of the country's success in managing the coronavirus.

January 05, 2021
|
By:
  • Laurel Wamsley
Contact tracer Toni Parlanti of Stamford, Conn., calls a person identified as having been potentially exposed to the coronavirus this week. States and territories report they have more than 70,000 people working on contact tracing as of December.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

For Overwhelmed And Burnt Out COVID-19 Contact Tracers, Help Is (Hopefully) Coming

NPR's latest survey finds the contact tracing workforce now tops 70,000, a dramatic increase in the last two months. But to meet the growing demand, new federal funding will be key.

December 23, 2020
|
By:
  • Selena Simmons-Duffin
Cars line up Friday at a coronavirus testing site at the University of Texas at El Paso. The area has seen a surge in cases in recent weeks, and a two-week curfew is now in effect in El Paso County.

Tagged as: 

  • National

El Paso, Texas, Judge Issues 2-Week Curfew To Stem Surge Of COVID-19 Cases

The judge said he was "left with no choice" but to impose a countywide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. He noted El Paso County has seen a 160% increase in its positivity rate in the last three weeks.

October 26, 2020
|
By:
  • Brakkton Booker

Tagged as: 

  • Health

COVID-19 Contact Tracing Workforce Barely 'Inching Up' As Cases Surge

The number of people working to stop COVID-19 outbreaks from spreading is far from the level needed in most states, according to a new NPR survey and analysis. Find out how your state is doing.

October 14, 2020
|
By:
  • Selena Simmons-Duffin
Numerous people have tested positive for the coronavirus after attending a Sept. 26 event in the Rose Garden at the White House to announce President Trump's nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

The Many, Maddening Hurdles To Contact Tracing The White House Outbreak

The coronavirus outbreak originating at the White House may have spread cases to dozens of other communities. But tracing related cases and stopping further spread is extremely challenging.

October 09, 2020
|
By:
  • Selena Simmons-Duffin
Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Duluth International Airport on Sept. 30, 2020 in Duluth, Minn.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

How Do You Contact Trace The President Of The United States?

The President's diagnosis calls for contact tracing on a massive scale. Luckily, not everyone President Trump saw this week with is a high risk exposure. Here's who is.

October 03, 2020
|
By:
  • Carmel Wroth and
  • Selena Simmons-Duffin
President Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Harrisburg International Airport in Middletown, Pa., on Saturday.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

'It's Not Just About The President': Tracing Trump's Contacts

"I suspect many senior members of the government are going to have to go into quarantine," says Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

October 02, 2020
|
By:
  • Jason Breslow
A group of University of Georgia freshmen play basketball behind the high rise dormitories on Baxter Street a few days before the start of the fall 2020 term.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Lack Of Contact Tracing At UGA Poses Threat To Students

The University of Georgia trained contact tracers in the summer. Why aren't they at work on campus now?

September 10, 2020
|
By:
  • Grant Blankenship
Beware of scammers. Legitimate contact tracers will never ask you for any sort of payment or seek other financial information or your Social Security number.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

How To Tell A Real COVID-19 Contact Tracer's Call From A Scammer's

A loved one's health could depend on the truth if you get a call from a real contact tracer about your exposure to the coronavirus. But beware impostors who ask you for payment or to click on a link.

August 20, 2020
|
By:
  • Julie Appleby

Tagged as: 

  • Health

14 States Make Contact Tracing Data Public. Here's What They're Learning

The information includes details on where transmission is happening most. If more states shared this widely, it could shape policy and save lives, health researchers say.

August 14, 2020
|
By:
  • Selena Simmons-Duffin
  • Load More

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