Test, isolate, trace, quarantine – these are the fundamental public health measures that have proven effective in fighting an infectious disease before it explodes to the point where the only option left is to impose draconian blockages on entire populations.
The World Health Organization and public health experts have advocated and reformulated the strategy endlessly since the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in January. And health officials in many places followed the advice, quickly evaluated people at risk, isolated those infected, tracked people with whom the patients had contact, and quarantined anyone exposed. It is a strategy that requires leadership and resources, but also public cooperation and commitment from all to do their part to defeat a common viral enemy for the common good. With all that, the strategy works. The places that followed the advice and were largely held together, for example Hong Kong and South Korea, are among the most successful in containing the devastating new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.
Meanwhile, the United States did not take the advice, and the virus has spread widely, causing crashes and now re-crashes. So far, the United States has recorded more than 2.7 million cases and more than 128,000 deaths, and counting. The country has more than 25 percent of cases globally, while it only has around 4 percent of the world population. Still, the lesson has not collapsed.
In New York, public health officials are struggling to convince some residents to work with contact trackers, as a new group threatens to become an outbreak. The Empire State Building was once the epicenter of the country’s still-roaring pandemic, but has since seen its outbreak lessen. New York is now at a point where vigilant testing, isolation, tracing, and quarantine contact can extinguish persistent embers, but only if people comply.
Do not answer the call
On Wednesday, officials in Rockland County, just north of New York City, reported a group of cases linked to a recent party of up to 100 people, mostly in their 20s. At the time of the party, the host was infected and had symptoms, but still hosted the party.
So far, at least eight attendees have tested positive for the virus. But many partygoers have refused to work with public health officials to track down the possible spread and notify other people that they may have been infected and that they could further spread the disease.
“We are not receiving the necessary cooperation when we contact those who are positive for COVID-19 or those who have been to some of these meetings,” Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, Rockland County Health Commissioner said at a news conference on Wednesday.
She explained:
My staff has been told that a person does not want or has to speak to investigators of my disease. They hang They deny being at the party even though we found their name from another party attendant or a parent provides us with the information. Many do not answer their cell phones and do not call back. Sometimes parents answer for their adult children and promise that they have been at home constantly when they have not.
This must stop.
In response, Ruppert announced that the county will issue subpoenas to anyone who refuses to cooperate with contact tracing. So far, the county is processing eight citations. Additionally, those who do not comply will face civil penalties of around $ 2,000 each day they do not comply.
Ruppert went on to point out that exposed youth could spread the virus to vulnerable people in the community, including older relatives, people with underlying health conditions, and young children who may be at risk of developing a serious inflammatory disorder. And even though young adults are at a relatively lower risk of serious outcomes than other groups, they, too, could become seriously ill.
“You may want to be invincible,” said Ruppert. “But you are not. None of us is against this terrible disease.”
Seriously deadly
Rockland County Executive Day Ed Day added at the press conference that people who attended the party had no problem attending. Rather, officials only want information to track the virus, and they will do whatever they need to get it.
“We are very serious,” Day said. “I will not allow the health of our county to be compromised due to ignorance, stupidity, stubbornness or anything else.”
Tracking contacts in general has been a struggle in the United States. Several cities and states have reported difficulties contacting and convincing people to help trace the virus. But Ruppert and Day noted that when Rockland County faced a similar problem during an explosive measles outbreak in 2019, the issuance of citations worked. “I hope the same now,” said Ruppert.
Ruppert and Day also noted that county officials had learned that more parties are planned for July 4, including by people who were at the party where COVID-19 was spread. To avoid this, the county will strictly enforce the social distancing measures still in place and the required isolation and quarantine orders for people infected or exposed, Day said.
For people who were at the previous party: “We are asking them nicely now,” Day said, “they will receive subpoenas later.”
