Contact Tracing: Here’s What Happens When You’re Identified As Someone Who Got In Close Contact With COVID-19 Patient

Contact tracing is a major process that helped South Korean and China control the spread of COVID-19. This task is definitely challenging but this plays an important role in flattening the coronavirus outbreak so it is a must if people want to stop the pandemic.

Because this is so helpful, almost all the countries dealing with the disease have set up a group of contact tracers who man phone lines so they can trace the spread of the coronavirus across the nation. Contact tracing centers also talk with people who are suspected or have tested positive for this deadly type of pneumonia.

Moreover, according to NBC News, the main goal of contact tracing is to find or pinpoint the location of the infected person, record the places he visited and list all the people they been in close contact with. Part of their job is to call the contacts to check if they are feeling unwell and see if they needed to be put in quarantine. Now, if you have been contacted by the staff in contact tracing centers, here are the things that you should expect

As stated by New Zealand’s Ministry of Health, if a person has been identified as someone who has gotten in close contact with a COVID-19 positive person, the contact tracers will contact them through a phone call.

Though it slightly varies depending on the state and local health department, the tracer will always inform the identified person about why they are calling and will proceed to ask questions. The contact tracers usually say, "You are being called because you have been identified as close contact to a person with a confirmed novel coronavirus infection. Do you know who that person might be? If so, please state their name."

After verifying their name, the staff will ask about their health condition and give them advice on self-isolation. They will also inquire about the living situation so they can easily determine if the contacted person needs to find a place for quarantine.

If the person is classified as someone at a higher risk for COVID-19 infection, the medical staff will check on him or her in seven to 14 days which is also the isolation period. Finally, before ending the call, they will give guidelines to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.