Maricopa County health officials detail their contact tracing efforts amid COVID-19 pandemic
PHOENIX - The Maricopa Department of Public Health held a news conference on Thursday and provided some insight on contact tracing.
According to officials, after specimens are collected and tested, the county downloads the data after a few days, and immediately interviews those who test positive and whoever they have been in contact with.
"We interview every single case, every day, and elicit their contacts through that manner," said Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, Medical Director for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
Dr. Sunenshine says currently, investigators are interviewing up to 150 people a day on average. Contact tracing is done to find out who has been exposed to someone with COVID-19. The identity of the patient is confidential, and the purpose is to warn contacts, support patients, and encourage social distancing.
As Arizonans see cases go up, more investigators are needed to help slow the spread. The staff used for this method has doubled to 25, and the County plans to expand.
"We're going to be able to train and implement enough of a workforce to increase our capacity by eight to 10 times," said Dr. Sunenshine. "However, we're still in the process of working with partners to implement that plan."
As elective surgeries resume on May 1, and Gov. Doug Ducey moves forward on guidelines to reopen the state, Maricopa County is behind him.
"We’re very comfortable with pulling back slightly, watching and waiting, monitoring the data to make sure that everyone is safe and then slowly pulling back more on social distancing, moving forward," said Dr. Sunenshine.
Meanwhile, a little more than 500,000 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been distributed by Maricopa County, including 65,000 N95 masks and about 150,000 surgical masks. However, Director of Emergency Management Robert Rowley says the supply of surgical gowns is down to a few days.
Fortunately, city partners are helping with the PPEs.
"They are sharing some of the supply that they have to make sure that our most critical facilities, the long-term care facilities, continue to have them, but that certainly is our biggest concern at this point," said Rowley.
Officials say testing is limited is due to lack of supplies to collect specimens, and do it safely.
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Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
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Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
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