Update on #ContactTracing for #COVID19 - a thread. Early signs of success from SF Bay Area. Many local counties are approaching goal of contacting 90% of the region’s positive cases, even as coronavirus cases spike across the state. @mikereidmd @SF_DPH sfchronicle.com/health/article…
2. San Francisco @SF_DPH data:
• % of Cases Reached for #ContactTracing over Prior Two Weeks – currently 82%, target 90+%
• % of Named Contacts Reached for Contact Tracing over the Prior Two Weeks – currently 85%, target 90+%
data.sfgov.org/stories/s/epem…
• % of Cases Reached for #ContactTracing over Prior Two Weeks – currently 82%, target 90+%
• % of Named Contacts Reached for Contact Tracing over the Prior Two Weeks – currently 85%, target 90+%
data.sfgov.org/stories/s/epem…
3. OTOH, lack of transparency makes #ContactTracing success hard to measure. Impossible to know whether Bay Area’s two largest counties have been successful because their health officials refuse to reveal how many people they do reach, and how quickly. mercurynews.com/2020/06/29/is-…
4. Nationwide, we're still at only 13 states with 5+ #ContactTracers per daily #COVID19 case testandtrace.com/state-data/
5. #ContactTracing rapidly expanding but not rapidly enough. Number of tracers has expanded to 44k, far short of 99k needed to meet the pop. threshold and 145k+ needed for all states to meet the tracer/positive threshold based on current cases
nephronresearch.bluematrix.com/sellside/Email…
nephronresearch.bluematrix.com/sellside/Email…
7. #ContactTracing Is Most Important Step In Combatting Pandemic, @WHO Chief @DrTedros Says. "If any country is saying contact tracing is difficult, it is a lame excuse.” reuters.com/article/us-hea…
8. “#Coronavirus spreading too rapidly and broadly in U.S.” Dr. Anne Schuchat @CDCgov. “We’re not #NewZealand, #Singapore or #SouthKorea where a new case is rapidly identified, all contacts are traced, sick are isolated, and exposed are quarantined.” cnbc.com/2020/06/29/cdc…
9. Aggressive #ContactTracing by #HI identifies new #COVID19 cases. Spike in numbers largely due to a cluster of 17 #Honolulu cases associated with a funeral. #NewZealand tests 270 people for every case they have and they really suppressed the virus. khon2.com/coronavirus/ag…
10. #ContactTracing "not going well," Dr. Fauci says. In lieu of federal leadership on tracing, underfunded and overwhelmed local health departments have scrambled to get the necessary systems in place. cnbc.com/2020/06/26/cor…
11. For #ContactTracing to work, public health authorities must regain the trust of Black communities. A long history of surveillance and racist medical experiments does not make Black Americans want to give up personal information to the government. vox.com/first-person/2…
12. "Crisis was weeks in the making and driven by four distinct causes: the failure of public-health work like #ContactTracing, heavy economic pressure, the political neutering of its cities, and Abbott’s solidarity with President’s agenda." bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
13. Experts are calling for a 9/11-style commission on U.S. #coronavirus response. Here’s where it could start: “Any examination could begin with the country’s failure to build infrastructure for #testing and #ContactTracing in early 2020 . . .” statnews.com/2020/06/29/us-…
14. Severe shortages of public health workers fueled spikes in #Florida, #Texas #Arizona. Could make it harder to stamp out new hot spots. Florida has 10% of 15,000 workers needed to contain the outbreak in his state, but plans to hire just 600 more. politico.com/news/2020/06/2…
15. #Texas #ContactTracing made more difficult by archaic technology and mistrust of government agencies. Supposed to have ‘fully mobilized’ up to 4,000 contact tracers by mid-May, but as of last week, officials said they were still about 20 percent short. nbcnews.com/news/us-news/a…
16. [Pre-print] 20% of contacts is enough to reduce the epidemic size by half. Above a threshold, increasing effectiveness of #ContactTracing results in a smaller number of quarantined individuals due to a reduced number of confirmed cases. doi.org/10.1101/2020.0…
17. #NewMexico remains short of its goal to significantly boost the number of workers carrying out #ContactTracing. @GovMLG said the state needed a minimum of 670 workers to perform the duties but had only slightly more than 100 in May. santafenewmexican.com/news/coronavir…
18. Prompt epidemiologic investigation, with effective #ContactTracing and cooperation between a university and a public health department, contributed to the control of the #COVID19 outbreak. doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.…
19. A web of 450+ institutions across #Japan played a crucial role in limiting the nation’s outbreak. Japan already had an army of trained #ContactTracers when #COVID19 struck, and may provide a model for other countries #COVIDResponseCorps bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
20. #Arkansas Gov @AsaHutchinson said he’s seeking another $22 million to hire hundreds more #ContactTracers while officials reported a near-record increase in virus cases and hospitalizations apnews.com/dfcd998bf74a54…
21. As #NewJersey continues reopening and new #COVID19 cases decline, @GovMurphy said 230+ #ContactTracers are ‘currently being onboarded.’ Murphy wants to at least double the number of contract tracers by hiring ‘at least 1,000’ nj.com/coronavirus/20…
22. High hopes that technology would help supplement the traditional, labor-intensive approach to #ContactTracing have been dashed. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
23/23. #ContactTracing, a critical intervention for #COVID19 control and economic recovery, severely lagging in implementation due to workforce limitations. Why not a national #COVIDResponseCorps?
