In the News
Following Trends and Best Practices
So much in the news lately about the efforts at containing Covid-19 and the various methods it is hard to keep up. Contact tracing performed by professionally trained contact tracers remains the most reliable source of accurate information.
Cal/OSHA Extends COVID-19 Regulation for 2 Years
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted 6-1 yesterday to continue California’s COVID-19 regulation until December 2024.
Covid cases in your area as infections spread across UK
Three years on from the start of the Covid pandemic, concerns have been raised about a new Covid variant that could lead to a surge in the virus.
Omicron offshoot XBB.1.5 could drive new Covid-19 surge in US
For weeks, scientists have been watching a slew of Omicron descendants duke it out for dominance of Covid-19 transmission in the United States, with the BQs – BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 – seeming to edge out all the others to claim a slight lead.
San Francisco, New York state declare monkeypox emergencies as outbreak grows
San Francisco and the state of New York declared public health emergencies Thursday amid the growing monkeypox outbreak, the latest in escalating measures in response to the rapidly spreading virus.
What Should Employers Do When a Worker Tests Positive for COVID-19?
Employers with workers who test positive for COVID-19 should follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including its guidelines on quarantining and isolation, to minimize safety and legal risks, even though the guidance is somewhat complex.
CDC no longer recommends universal contact tracing, case investigation
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced this week that it no longer recommends universal case investigation and contact tracing.
In its place, the agency said state, tribal, local and territorial (STLT) health departments should prioritize specific settings and groups at increased risk.
Changes in COVID-19 testing and contact tracing
As confirmed cases of COVID-19 track downward at Rowan, in New Jersey and across the nation, we are implementing some University-wide changes in our approach to testing and contact tracing.
With omicron surge, some wonder whether Covid contact tracing still works
Alejandra Perez-Handler had a 2-month-old baby and desperately needed at-home work, so she took a job as a contact tracer in Connecticut.
From October through November, she made about 20 calls a day to people who had been exposed to Covid-19, painstakingly working through a lengthy list of names. Now, she makes about 30 calls a day as cases surge, largely because of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Amid omicron surge, contact tracing is more complicated, officials say
The rapid increase of coronavirus cases in the Washington region has made the painstaking task of contact tracing more difficult, moving public health officials to prioritize whom to inform about potential exposure in a triage-like effort to keep the highly transmissible omicron variant from spreading even faster and further.
The rise of the Covid-19 Delta variant has sparked an uptick in cases that could eventually have a detrimental effect on small businesses, even if the cases don't prompt the type of lockdowns that sent shockwaves through the national economy in 2020.
New school year in San Diego, already new cases of COVID on campuses
The San Diego County Office of Education confirmed several schools that recently returned to in-person learning have already had at least one positive COVID-19 case on their campuses. Parents at one of those schools, Hilltop High School in Chula Vista, said they recently received a letter letting them know about multiple cases.
Delta variant cases overwhelm contact tracing in hard-hit states
Health departments nationwide scaled back their contact tracing in late spring or early summer when Covid-19 cases started to decrease as vaccination efforts took center stage.
Then delta hit.
UGA research: Contact tracing is a key to suppressing COVID-19
The emergence of the delta variant and continued vaccine hesitancy have caused many health and government officials to revisit the need for non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) like social distancing policies, mask wearing, contact tracing and isolating infected individuals to manage new COVID-19 surges
As COVID variants circulate in Utah, experts say contact tracing is critical
Contact tracing has played an important role throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. While cases are on the decline, contact tracing efforts remain a priority for public health as six variants of concern circulate within the state.
Will DC universities still have social distancing requirements in the fall?
Since the COVID -19 pandemic began, universities around the country have been implementing strict guidelines to keep their students as safe as possible during the school year.
Lessons Learned From Hindered Contact Tracing Efforts In The U.S.
Early in the pandemic, contact tracing was viewed as one of the best options to quell the spread of coronavirus infections. The idea was to have public health workers track down people who tested positive, figure out whom they'd been in touch with and quickly get those people to quarantine.
A look inside the NFL's COVID-19 contact tracing system
"It's absolutely foundational to the principle of avoiding transmission within a team," said Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer. "Being able to do that with a high degree of precision -- it keeps people who might turn positive out of the team environment and it keeps the risk of infected individuals to the most reasonable level."
Opinion: Do-it-yourself contact tracing becomes ‘last resort’
Contact tracers have been deluged with work and, to cope, one overburdened health department has a new tactic: It is asking residents who test positive for COVID-19 to do their own contact tracing.
Coronavirus surge in North Dakota leaves contact tracing up to residents
North Dakota health officials are asking residents to conduct their own contact tracing if they have tested positive for COVID-19 as a surge in cases of the novel coronavirus has left contact tracers in the state overwhelmed and strapped for resources.
U.S. sees third day of 50,000 new coronavirus cases
The U.S. on Friday reported over 57,000 new coronavirus cases, marking the third consecutive day of more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases nationwide, per data from the COVID Tracking Project.
White House email says 'all contact tracing' is complete
The White House told staff in an email on Tuesday that it had completed "all contact tracing" for positive Covid-19 cases identified at the White House, and urged anyone who hasn't been contacted and suspects they have had contact with someone infected by the virus to reach out to the White House Medical Office.
Over half of U.S. companies plan virus contact tracing for employees: survey
NEW YORK (Reuters) - More than half of U.S. companies surveyed by benefits company Mercer are starting COVID-19 contact tracing programs in their workplace with employees venturing back to offices even as new cases soar nationally.
On Native American Land, Contact Tracing is Saving Lives
The coronavirus is raging through the White Mountain Apache tribe. Spread across a large reservation in eastern Arizona, the Apaches have been infected at more than 10 times the rate of people in the state as a whole.
Tracking coronavirus cases proves difficult amid new surge
Health departments around the U.S. that are using contact tracers to contain coronavirus outbreaks are scrambling to bolster their ranks amid a surge of cases and resistance to cooperation from those infected or exposed
Coronavirus contact tracing efforts falling short
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday that contact tracing is "not working" in the U.S. to slow the pandemic. Axios Future correspondent Bryan Walsh explains what contact tracing is, why it's important and what needs to happen for it to succeed.
Florida would need to triple contact tracing workforce to meet pandemic criteria
ST. PETERSUBRG, Fla. - Imagine being given a list of 23 people and told that you need to track down and contact every person that each of those 23 people has come into contact with in the last two weeks. Time is of the essence because those contacts may have been exposed to COVID-19.
State sending $138 million to health departments
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health announced Thursday that it is sending $138 million in federal pandemic funds to county health departments to hire epidemiologists, nurses and contact tracers.
Overwhelmed contact tracers forced to prioritize cases until staffing increase in August
TAMPA, Fla. - You might be over it, but the pandemic is not over. That's why officials are trying to educate the public about the importance of contact tracing to contain disease outbreaks -- and still encouraging everyone to take personal precautions.
Covid testing and contact tracing key for safely reopening schools, two new studies suggest
As nations around the world grapple with how to safely reopen schools amid the coronavirus pandemic -- or whether to reopen at all -- two new studies turn a spotlight on strategies that could be key in bringing children back to the classroom: scaled-up testing for cases, effective tracing of the contacts of those who test positive, and isolation of those who test positive or have symptoms.
Oregon contact tracing challenged by unanswered calls, suspicion, misinformation
PORTLAND, ORE. — Public health officials in Oregon are facing significant challenges with their contact tracing efforts, as phone calls and correspondences go unanswered.
After a Backyard Dinner, Coronavirus Chaos Ensues
It started with a text. Or perhaps it was the phone call. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say it really started the week before, when my husband mentioned that his cousin S., who lives far away, would be visiting the area and wanted to come over for dinner in our Hudson, N.Y., backyard, and I paused.
COVID-19 Updates: NY positive rate hits new low, CDC concerned about virus effect on children
NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York reported its lowest one-day positive rate since the start of the pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday.
65,812 tests were conducted Saturday, with only .7% testing positive.