tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Public Health Rep
. 2020 Nov 10;33354920967910.
doi: 10.1177/0033354920967910. Online ahead of print.
Containing COVID-19 Through Contact Tracing : A Local Health Agency Approach
Nilesh Kalyanaraman[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Michael R Fraser[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Containing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through case investigation and contact tracing is a crucial strategy for governmental public health agencies to control the spread of COVID-19 infection in the United States. Because of the recency of the pandemic, few examples of COVID-19 contact-tracing models have been shared among local, state, and federal public health officials to date. This case study of the Anne Arundel County Department of Health (Maryland) illustrates one model of contact-tracing activity developed early in the outbreak. We describe the contact-tracing effort's place within the broader county health agency Incident Command System, as well as the capabilities needed, team composition, special considerations, and major lessons learned by county health officials. Other local, state, tribal, territorial, and federal health officials and policy makers can use this case study to innovate, iterate, and further refine contact-tracing efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection and support community members in isolation or quarantine.
Keywords: COVID-19; communicable disease control; contact tracing; disease investigation; local and state governmental public health; public health.
. 2020 Nov 10;33354920967910.
doi: 10.1177/0033354920967910. Online ahead of print.
Containing COVID-19 Through Contact Tracing : A Local Health Agency Approach
Nilesh Kalyanaraman[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Michael R Fraser[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33170094
- DOI: 10.1177/0033354920967910
Abstract
Containing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through case investigation and contact tracing is a crucial strategy for governmental public health agencies to control the spread of COVID-19 infection in the United States. Because of the recency of the pandemic, few examples of COVID-19 contact-tracing models have been shared among local, state, and federal public health officials to date. This case study of the Anne Arundel County Department of Health (Maryland) illustrates one model of contact-tracing activity developed early in the outbreak. We describe the contact-tracing effort's place within the broader county health agency Incident Command System, as well as the capabilities needed, team composition, special considerations, and major lessons learned by county health officials. Other local, state, tribal, territorial, and federal health officials and policy makers can use this case study to innovate, iterate, and further refine contact-tracing efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection and support community members in isolation or quarantine.
Keywords: COVID-19; communicable disease control; contact tracing; disease investigation; local and state governmental public health; public health.