KYW Newsradio’s Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — One of the major tools we have to reduce the spread of COVIS-19, especially as we are seeing spikes, is contact tracing.
If someone has the virus, we need to figure out who they have been in contact with. When it comes to contract tracing, there is some good news to report.
The United States has more than 50,000 contact tracers for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit. The latest data shows the numbers reaching 55,000.
The good news is that it is four times the number of contact tracers that the individual states reported back in April, but it falls far short of the 100,000 number that health experts think we need.
Another issue is that it’s important to have consistent contact tracing efforts, which is not always the case.