PHS-1010: COVID-19 Contact Tracing

As of May 12, 2020, more than 1.3 million cases of COVID-19 have been identified nationwide and more than 80,000 lives have been lost (CDC, 2020a). The name COVID-19 refers to ‘CO’ for ‘corona,’ ‘VI’ for ‘virus,’ and ‘D’ for disease (CDC, 2020b). The virus that causes COVID-19 is highly contagious, easily spread from person to person, through respiratory droplets when people are in close contact within about 6 feet of one another (CDC, 2020b). As social distancing restrictions are eased and society returns to normal activities, disease transmissions will occur, leading to possible outbreaks. To manage and control these outbreaks, public health employs an epidemiological strategy known as contact tracing. Contact tracing helps to reduce disease spread through early identification, assessment, and isolation of individuals who may have been exposed to COVID-19. Contact tracing will be critical to public health safety in the coming months, mandating the need for a large, well-trained contact tracer workforce to slow and stop the COVID-19 transmission. This course employs the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines and Training Objectives (CDC, 2020c) to maximize efficient training through accurate, ethical, and legal principles of this vital epidemiological intervention. The course covers all seven of the CDC’s recommended training objectives, employing a variety of innovative learning strategies, including reading materials, live videos, case scenarios, and knowledge assessments for learner’s achievement of objective. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (2020a). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Cases in the U.S. Accessed 05/13/2020 at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (2020b). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Coronavirus disease 2019 basics. Accessed 05/13/2020 at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#:~:text=In%20COVID%2D19%2C,%2Drespiratory%20tract%20illnesses. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (2020c). COVID-19 Contact Tracing Training: Guidance, Resources and Sample Training Plan. Accessed 05/13/2020 at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/contact-tracing/index.html .