Amid a recent spike in coronavirus cases, Orange County is struggling to pinpoint where residents are infected, its top health official said this week.
Healthcare officials say contact tracking, as it is known in practice, is a vital tool in stopping the spread of COVID-19, as it allows those who have come in contact with a confirmed case to check themselves for symptoms and take steps to ensure that it does not infect others in turn.
However, establishing exactly where a person may have been exposed has proven to be a major challenge, particularly once residents began to mix more as businesses and public spaces reopened, according to Dr. Clayton Chau, director of the Orange County Health Care Agency and acting county. health officer.
“It is quite difficult, even the person himself would not know,” he said during a briefing on Thursday. “’Well, I was at the bar; I was at the beach; It was here; I was there, where did I get infected? It’s a very difficult question to crack, and all the case investigators and trackers do their best to try to ask people, “Where were you so we can identify her?” But, to my knowledge, we can’t really pin down. “
Another challenge of contact tracking is the large number of infections.
Orange County health officials announced 905 new COVID-19 cases Thursday alone, increasing the region’s cumulative count to 32,648.
That number includes 543 deaths, 22 of which were reported Thursday. An estimated 17,091 people have been recovered from COVID-19 to date, according to the Health Care Agency.
Chau said health officials see patterns linked to events, such as the increase in infections after Memorial Day or July 4 weekends, but “people are everywhere, so it’s very difficult accurately determine an activity that caused the infection. “
“The broadcast is in the community now, so wherever you go you are at risk,” he said.
To scale up its efforts, Orange County recently hired the services of a company called Trace, which will make 33 more case-follower investigators and contacts available to the county as early as next week “with the ability to expand as needed.” , according to Chau.
He added that 568 members of the public health staff have received training in such investigations, “but most need to remain in their current capacities to ensure that we continue with other public health programs and services.”
The process works as follows: After someone tests positive for the virus, a contact tracker will contact them to try to determine where they have been and who they were.
Those individuals will be asked to self-isolate, supervise for symptoms and get tested if necessary. For those showing symptoms, the scan would start again.
There are inherent challenges in the process. For starters, residents may have a hard time remembering exactly where they were or who they were with days or even weeks ago.
Some public health officials have also reported problems with residents who withhold requested information, especially if they are concerned that it is somehow being used against them or shared with other government agencies.
Riverside County authorities made a public call to urge residents to cooperate with contact trackers earlier this month.
“This information is critical as we work to slow and eventually stop the spread of the coronavirus,” said Kim Saruwatari, Riverside County Director of Public Health, in a statement on July 7. “It is understandable that patients may be reluctant to discuss sensitive issues, but it is very important that this information be provided.”
Public health officials say it is important for residents to continue taking steps to protect themselves and those around them from the coronavirus by washing their hands regularly, wearing face shields when they are out in public, and keeping their distance from people. with which they do not live.
However, those messages have not always resonated in Orange County, where there has sometimes been strident public opposition to some of the regulations imposed during the coronavirus crisis, particularly the idea of wearing masks.
Chau said it is up to residents to comply with relevant health orders if the county wants to move forward.
“Hopefully, the community will realize that together, in order for us to reduce the number and be able to reopen part of the dwindling business sector, everyone has to do their part,” he said. “And I hope people realize that … their decision not to participate costs the community a lot. When we see the number increase, we will close businesses and, in the end, we will all be hurt together. ”
Associated Press contributed to this report.
