Community Trace: Rapid Establishment of a Volunteer Contact Tracing Program for COVID-19
Linda M. Niccolai, Tyler Shelby, Brian Weeks, Christopher Schenck, Justin Goodwin, Rachel Hennein, Meghan Rossini, Jennifer Vazquez, Dorothyann van Rhijn, James Meek, Maritza Bond
Abstract
Contact tracing was one of the core public health strategies implemented during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this essay, we describe the rapid establishment of a volunteer contact tracing program in New Haven, Connecticut. We describe successes of the program and challenges that were faced. Going forward, contact tracing efforts can best be supported by increased funding to state and local health departments for a stable workforce and use of evidence-based technological innovations.
Topics & Concepts
Contact tracingCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)TracingPandemicTRACE (psycholinguistics)Public healthWorkforce2019-20 coronavirus outbreakSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Public relationsHavenPolitical scienceMedicineComputer scienceNursingVirologyLawInfectious disease (medical specialty)DiseaseMathematicsLinguisticsOutbreakOperating systemPhilosophyPathologyCombinatoricsCOVID-19 Digital Contact TracingViral Infections and Outbreaks ResearchMobile Health and mHealth Applications