1/9. If 3,000 New Yorkers are diagnosed with Coronavirus this week, what percentage of them were likely infected because they had close contact with a known case -OR- dined out at a restaurant or bar -OR- began working on-site recently -OR-
2/9. -OR- recently returned from Florida -OR- is an essential worker whose employer is not providing them with adequate PPE -OR- is a retail or service employee whose employer is not serious about protecting their employee's health? We need to know sooner rather than later.
3/9. NYC's 'test and trace' initiative should try to assess the likely source of transmission for all newly diagnosed persons they speak to, and then rapidly disseminate that information to all those who are in a position to act to reduce risk. bit.ly/2YGeWZM
4/9. We need to know where the holes in New York's Coronavirus prevention safety net are, so that we can fix them and do a better job at preventing or reducing transmission. Every jurisdiction needs good 'epidemic intelligence' to inform the public health and municipal response.
5/9. In NYC, I would argue that we need to know and address the major sources of Coronavirus transmission in Phase 2 before moving onto Phase 3. And NYC must be well-positioned to rapidly disseminate this information in each phase to New Yorkers and others in a position to act.
6/9. @MarkLevineNYC is 100% right that NYC should not be moving to indoor dining at NYC restaurants as planned 7 days from now as part of Phase 3.
7/9. How could NYC get better epidemic intelligence? Contact tracers in the 'test and trace' initiative are well-positioned to assess the potential source of infection for each new case that they interview. It is (or should be) part of their remit as 'disease detectives'.
8/9. Contact tracers and/or the NYC DOHMH may already be gathering this information systematically, but, critically, it has not been rapidly disseminated in the form of actionable information that can help prevent spread. Good public health surveillance includes dissemination!
9/9. If we can put this kind of information in the hands of all those who are in a position to act to limit spread, including and especially the general public, the value of NYC's contact tracing program could be greatly enhanced.
