As more states push to reopen their economies, many are falling short on one of the federal government's essential criteria for doing so — having an efficient system to track people who have been physically near a person infected with the coronavirus
ATLANTA — As more states push to reopen their economies, many are falling short on one of the federal government's essential criteria for doing so — having an efficient system to track people who have been physically near a person infected with the coronavius.The result is a wide array of strategies and little national coordination. With few exceptions, most states reviewed by AP are going it alone. Many other countries dealing with the pandemic are taking a national approach to testing.
Contact tracing is a pillar of infection control and typically requires in-depth interviews with those who may have been exposed. The number of public health employees needed for the work throughout the U.S. remains up for debate, but some estimates are as high as 300,000 people. Health experts worry that a scattershot approach will only prolong the crisis, and they urge a more coordinated strategy. In South Korea, for example, the national health agency oversees the effort, gathering and sharing data on the movement of confirmed cases with local health departments. The country has seen its case count plummet and remain low.
Pennsylvania initially conducted tracing until the state began seeing community spread of the virus, and its ability to follow contacts was overwhelmed. Now it's trying again. State officials estimate that it will take six hours to conduct basic tracing if an individual reported just 10 contacts. The CDC said Friday that it is working with state and local jurisdictions to identify needs for “surge support staff” to assist with contact tracing and other infection-control measures. Currently, states seeking help must rely on CDC staff members who are embedded with state health departments and other agencies.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Many states fall short of mandate to track virus exposureAs more states push to reopen, an AP review finds many are falling short on one of the federal government’s essential criteria for doing so: having an efficient system to track people who have been physically near a person infected with the coronavius.
Read more »
Many states fall short of mandate to track virus exposureATLANTA (AP) — As more states push to reopen their economies, many are falling short on one of the federal government's essential criteria for doing so — having an efficient system to track people...
Read more »
Many states fall short of mandate to track virus exposureATLANTA (AP) — As more states push to reopen their economies, many are falling short on one of the federal government's essential criteria for doing so — having an efficient system to track people...
Read more »
Many states fall short of mandate to track virus exposureATLANTA (AP) — As more states push to reopen their economies, many are falling short on one of the federal government's essential criteria for doing so — having an efficient system to track people...
Read more »
A doctor didn’t see her kids for weeks after husband said she posed coronavirus threatA growing number of medical workers have been temporarily separated from their children after former spouses raised concerns about their exposure to the coronavirus, according to news reports and interviews with families and lawyers.
Read more »
Australia launches controversial COVID-19 tracking app as some states start easing rulesThe Australian government launched a controversial coronavirus tracing app on Sunday and promised to legislate privacy protections around it as authorities try to get the country and the economy back onto more normal footing.
Read more »