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1/ As coronavirus cases steadily rise in Texas, the state has recently cut hundreds of workers from its contact tracing workforce.
Today, about 2,800 contact tracers work in Texas — 1,200 short of the state’s goal. https://bit.ly/2NGMlNt
Today, about 2,800 contact tracers work in Texas — 1,200 short of the state’s goal. https://bit.ly/2NGMlNt
2/ A spokesperson says the state still has “enough tracers at the state level to meet our workload, and both we and local health departments continue to add staff.” http://bit.ly/2NGMlNt
3/ The spokesperson said the Texas Department of State Health Services has enough workers to call every person who has a positive test result, as well as their contacts, in the parts of the state it is covering. http://bit.ly/2NGMlNt
4/ But, with coronavirus cases rising in Texas, experts say the state needs all the contact tracing it can get.
Others say even if the state hit its goal of 4,000 contact tracers, that wouldn’t be enough. https://bit.ly/2NGMlNt
Others say even if the state hit its goal of 4,000 contact tracers, that wouldn’t be enough. https://bit.ly/2NGMlNt
5/ The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials estimated in late April that Texas would need nearly 9,000 contact tracers.
George Washington University researchers recently put the figure close to 20,000. http://bit.ly/2NGMlNt
George Washington University researchers recently put the figure close to 20,000. http://bit.ly/2NGMlNt
6/ Contact tracing is the crucial but time-consuming process of reconstructing a patient’s every move so that people who may have been exposed to the virus can self-isolate.
It has always been considered an essential component of safely reopening Texas. http://bit.ly/2NGMlNt
It has always been considered an essential component of safely reopening Texas. http://bit.ly/2NGMlNt
7/ Recently, Texas has routinely reported more than 5,000 new coronavirus cases each day.
Patients are beginning to fill Texas hospitals, particularly in hard-hit regions like Houston and the Rio Grande Valley. http://bit.ly/2NGMlNt
Patients are beginning to fill Texas hospitals, particularly in hard-hit regions like Houston and the Rio Grande Valley. http://bit.ly/2NGMlNt
8/8 “If you don’t have enough people out there doing [contact tracing], it’s difficult to stay on top of it. It’s kind of like the dam’s being broken open,” said Rodney Rohde, a virologist and epidemiologist at Texas State University. http://bit.ly/2NGMlNt
