WCHD To Increase Contact Tracing Monday To Contain COVID-19

WILL COUNTY, IL — The Will County Health Department will be ramping up its contact tracing program Monday, which is important in order to contain the spread of COVID-19.

To slow the spread of the virus, contact tracers reach out to someone who tests positive to make sure they’re self-isolating, and then attempt to find out who they were in contact with who might also be at risk of infection.

As part of Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan, health departments must begin contact tracing in 90 percent of new cases within 24 hours, said Will County Health Department Director Sue Olenek.

"Contact tracing is a best practice," she said. "This is what health departments do all the time with other diseases such as STDs and HIV."

In a release in May, Gov. J.B. Pritzker had said that adequate contact tracing was key to quelling the spread of COVID-19 and for allowing the state’s economy to safely reopen going forward.

The Will County Health Department received a $4.9 million grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health to hire contact tracers, managers, nurses, and even IT support to ensure that information gathered during the pandemic remains confidential.

“Basically we’re gearing up another department,” Olenek said.

Currently, there are 20 contact tracers and the department expects to add about another 20 in the coming weeks. All will be trained to talk to people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 or close contacts of a coronavirus case about who they have come in contact with and connect them to resources, such as a doctor, a social worker or assistance finding housing, as needed.

Olenek explained that initial calls will be made to clients from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. If the patient needs another time, such as later in the evening, that can be arranged, she said.

However, Olenek warned that there are scams out there, and she reminds people that they will not be contacted via email and the department is not using any contact tracing cell phone application either. Verified contact tracers will never ask for financial information. If someone asks for a credit card number or other financial information, the call is from a scammer.

"Financial information has nothing to do with COVID-19," she said. "We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we move through this next important phase of our response to COVID-19."

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