Lessons Learned From Hindered Contact Tracing Efforts In The U.S.
Lessons Learned From Hindered Contact Tracing Efforts In The U.S.
The first step in contact tracing is for an investigator to reach out to someone who tested positive and asking for their potential exposure list. Then, outreach is done to ensure those people quarantine. Resources are coordinated to make sure they have what they need to quarantine. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption
The first step in contact tracing is for an investigator to reach out to someone who tested positive and asking for their potential exposure list. Then, outreach is done to ensure those people quarantine. Resources are coordinated to make sure they have what they need to quarantine.
John Moore/Getty ImagesEarly 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. Places like Hong Kong and Singapore made headlines for their success stories. The U.S. aimed to replicate this, but came up short. Today, health reporter Selena Simmons-Duffin explains what went awry and the lessons learned.
Read more of Selena's reporting on contact tracing.
Reach the show by emailing shortwave@npr.org.
This episode was edited by Gisele Grayson, produced by Rebecca Ramirez and fact-checked by Indi Khera. The audio engineer was Marcia Caldwell.