Massachusetts contact tracing is more than just finding possible Covid-19 patients - sometimes it's getting somebody some milk

By adamg on Thu, 07/02/2020 - 11:28am

WBUR takes a look at the state's contact-tracing system, which has people assigned to get people things they need to stay in quarantine - even something as simple as some milk, so they don't walk to the local convenience store.

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Covid-19

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Comments

Very important work

By mg on Thu, 07/02/2020 - 12:27pm.

Definitely worth reading the WBUR article. Contact tracing isn't enough if people aren't able to quarantine. The MA Community Tracing Collaborative (CTC) has care resource coordinators on staff (something not being done in other states) to help people stay home.

Contact tracers make daily calls to people in isolation because they are positive, or in quarantine because they’ve been exposed to the coronavirus and must wait 14 days to see if it develops. The CTC estimates that between 10%-15% of cases request assistance...

The CTC says most requests are for food, medicine, masks and cleaning supplies. COVID-19 patients who are out of work for weeks or who don’t have salaried jobs may need help with rental assistance or unemployment. An older woman employed in the laundry room at a nursing home was told she wouldn’t be paid while out sick. Schaeffer got in touch with the CTC’s attorney, who reminds the company that paid sick leave is required during the pandemic.

Absolutely critical

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 07/02/2020 - 1:00pm.

I suggested that a young friend apply to do this work. She was in a bind between college and home and her jobs drying up. They took her right away due to her second language/cultural abilities and community service experience.

She says that it is exhausting but incredibly rewarding. But a lot of her time is explaining through language and culture barriers that people with green cards are indeed entitled to aid and it won't change anything, at least in MA. They are entitled to unemployment and social services. The critical thing is that they stay home and stay safe. A lot of contact tracing time is spent doing things like this.

Baker is cutting these jobs though.

By anon on Thu, 07/02/2020 - 4:51pm.

Governor Baker and DPH have quietly reduced the number of contact tracers recently, just as the total number of tests per day (or week) is less than it was in May.

At the very time that we should be turning the screws, the Governor is letting up. Penny wise, pound foolish.

Farce

By O-FISH-L on Fri, 07/03/2020 - 12:41pm.

If they are able to deliver groceries at least Baker's system accomplishes something. Contact tracing is another story. Who in their right mind would answer the phone and if they do, provide accurate information? For years, crime prevention officers have told us not to provide personal info to unsolicited callers. This is another "feel good" program like the unenforced 25 mph speed limit signs, except this is much more costly/wasteful. At least 98.5% of those infected recover from the virus. Time to end the hysteria four months "early" since we know it's scheduled to vanish (from the news) on November 4th. Happy Independence Day weekend. God Bless America!

You are the single most

By CH on Fri, 07/03/2020 - 4:56pm.

You are the single most negative regular poster on UHub, and every thread you post in is worse for it. While this time you managed to label delivering groceries as "something", you bashed the contact tracing program specifically, the whole concept of contact tracing in general, and city speed limits. You labeled our collective response to COVID "hysteria", posted misleading recovery statistics, and implied the whole thing is a political ploy. All but the tiny bone thrown to grocery delivery was completely off-topic and unprovoked. You are the worst.