Health agencies hiring coronavirus contact tracers

Aarp

Health agencies hiring coronavirus contact tracers"


Play all audios:

Loading...

As a contact tracer, Teresa Ayala-Castillo is sometimes asked whether herbal teas and Vicks VapoRub can treat COVID-19. These therapies aren’t exactly official health guidance, but


Ayala-Castillo isn’t fazed. She listens and then suggests other ideas — like getting rest and drinking plenty of fluids. “I don’t want to call them old wives’ tales, but these remedies are


things that I’m 100 percent familiar with because my mom used them on me,” said Ayala-Castillo, a bilingual first-generation Ecuadoran American who works for the city of Long Beach,


California. Health departments across the U.S. are working at a furious pace to staff their armies of contact tracers to control the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Experts


estimate local and state health departments will have to add 100,000 to 300,000 people to get the economy back on track. As they build these forces, many states and localities are striving


to hire from the racial and ethnic minority communities hit hardest by the virus. They’re anticipating a need for skilled, culturally competent tracers who can convert suspicious or hesitant


contacts into enthusiastic, willing participants in the drive to stamp out the virus. Virus-tracking activities vary by state. Most states have created plans to add contact tracers through


hiring or training volunteers, but wealthier ones — including California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Washington — are further along than others, said Marcus


Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Delaware, which aims to begin hiring in a month, plans to prioritize hires with bilingual skills


from vulnerable communities. Minnesota is hammering out staffing contracts with diversity quotas that match the demographics of the state’s COVID-19 cases. “One size does not fit all for


making that first call and being successful in having them pick up the phone and have a good conversation,” said Chris Elvrum, a deputy incident manager at the Minnesota Department of


Health. “We need to recognize that we have to approach it in different ways for different cultural communities in the state.” Tracking the disease works like this: After someone tests


positive for COVID-19, a case investigator from the local health department calls the patient to ask detailed questions about her health, movements and with whom she interacted over a


certain time frame. A contact tracer then calls everyone the patient named to let them know they were potentially exposed to the virus. These contacts are instructed to stay home and


self-quarantine for 14 days after the exposure. If they live with other people, the recommendation may extend to those individuals. Under stay-at-home orders, it’s often relatively easy to


figure out who may have been exposed to the disease, health officials say. Infected people usually have been around only family or close friends and will often warn contacts to expect a call


from the health department, said Emily Holman, communicable disease controller for Long Beach. But shoe-leather fieldworkers may be required in some instances, said Kara Odom Walker,


secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. “There are some communities that aren’t going to respond to a phone call, a text message or a letter,” Walker said. “That


could be due to health literacy issues, which could be due to fear, or documentation status.”


Trending News

France debates: did le pen or macron win whirlpool fight?

Antoine Gyori | Corbis via Getty Images France is furiously debating who out of Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron won &q...

A place in the sun presenter speaks out about 'ups and downs'

Laura Hamilton, 38, who has recently been away filming A Place In The Sun in Greece, revealed she, her two children, Roc...

Some syrians abroad assail russia's u. N. Veto

Feb. 6, 2012 2:56 PM PT _This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or link...

A simple swan song? Not for this bird

It has been a week since the untimely death of Newport Harbor’s most beloved resident, and people there remain shaken. N...

Berlin courts uk start-ups with brexit billboard

In an initial sign that European countries may try to tempt businesses in Britain to relocate because of Brexit, a billb...

Latests News

Health agencies hiring coronavirus contact tracers

As a contact tracer, Teresa Ayala-Castillo is sometimes asked whether herbal teas and Vicks VapoRub can treat COVID-19. ...

Elon musk demonstrates the power of transparency with first tesla model s recall | techcrunch

Tesla just issued a “partial recall” for its Model S sedan. Per the company blog, some Model S vehicles made between May...

Women better and safer drivers than men: study

Women could be far ahead of men when it comes to driving skills as males are more likely to speed, crash and, tragically...

Disgrace | Premiere.fr

Disgrace le 03/11/2009 à 00:00 par La rédaction Mark Rogers Mark Rogers Photographer Photographer Commentaires Vidéo à l...

A primer: comparing voter fraud charges against two l. A. Politicians

With closing arguments set to begin Wednesday in the perjury and voter fraud trial of former Los Angeles City Councilman...

Top