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The five-hour online course created by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health went live this week, which will provide users with instruction on the basics of tracing and isolating people who came into contact with COVID-19.
Since the pandemic struck in early March, lawmakers have stressed the importance of “testing, tracing, and isolating” people who contract COVID-19 or come into contact with people who have been around others who have tested positive for the virus.
Once someone tests positive for COVID-19, the tracers are tasked with tracking down anyone they may have come into contact with, at which point they will be isolated for at least two weeks as a precaution, per CDC guidelines.
“The COVID-19 crisis has created an unprecedented need for contact tracing across the country, requiring thousands of people to learn key skills quickly,” the developers of the online course said. “The job qualifications for contact tracing positions differ throughout the country and the world, with some new positions open to individuals with a high school diploma or equivalent.“
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19, said that it will require at least 30 contact tracers for every 100,000 individuals in the different regions across different states.
Cuomo has stressed that any tracing activities will be done on a tristate basis, involving Connecticut and New Jersey, as the “virus doesn’t discriminate on geographical lines.” He also noted that people commute to work and live in all three states so it’s important to take a “regional approach” to reopen economies.
“We’re doing this on a tristate basis," Cuomo said last month. "That’s how our society works. The virus doesn’t just stop at geographical lines, it just spreads, and we’re one metropolitan area.
“If you’re going to do tracing, you can’t just do it in your county. You’re going to come across people who are cross-jurisdictional. We have to work together, which is easier said than done. The tracers will work together, but first, we have to build our core.”
Bloomberg Philanthropies has committed $10.5 million, along with organizational support and technical assistance, to help build and execute this new program.
Tracing efforts will center on downstate New York, northern New Jersey, and Fairfield County, where the virus has spread most rapidly, though there is expected to be widespread testing of the entire region.
Those interested in becoming a tracer can take the Johns Hopkins online course here.
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