{"id":58352,"date":"2020-07-17T17:21:18","date_gmt":"2020-07-17T17:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/virusreports.net\/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-covid-19-contact-tracer\/"},"modified":"2020-07-17T17:21:18","modified_gmt":"2020-07-17T17:21:18","slug":"a-day-in-the-life-of-a-covid-19-contact-tracer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/virusreports.net\/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-covid-19-contact-tracer\/","title":{"rendered":"A day in the life of a COVID-19 contact tracer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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‘It can be complicated’ explains Washtenaw County contact tracer<\/h2>\n
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Contact tracing is considered a critical tool<\/a> in the fight to contain coronavirus, but what is it like to do the work?<\/p>\n

While medical staff are working to save lives from COVID-19, it\u2019s the contact tracers who can actually stop the spread.<\/p>\n

READ: <\/b>\u2018Answer the phone\u2019: Michigan health officials contacting residents about COVID-19 contact<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Local 4 spoke with Dayna Benoit, a contact tracer with the Washtenaw County Health Department, to share what it\u2019s like to do the job that so many are counting on.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of my day is on the phone,\u201d Benoit said.<\/p>\n

Benoit worked as a community health analyst until March, when she was reassigned to be a contact tracer. She thought it would last only a few weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the situation unraveled, clearly that was not the case,\u201d Benoit said. \u201cHere we are, many months later, still doing that same work.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ: <\/b>5 key factors to consider in debate over sending Michigan students back to school this fall<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

While testing provides information about where the virus is, contact tracing gives information about where it\u2019s going next. Benoit spends her days trying to reach the close contacts of people who have tested positive, checks on their health and asks them to quarantine for 14 days.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do occasionally have people that are a little bit grumpy when we call them because it\u2019s not a fun call to get,\u201d Benoit said.<\/p>\n

But most people do appreciate their calls.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels really gratifying — especially when you\u2019re able to talk with someone and they express to you, \u2018I\u2019m so glad you called, I was so worried. You answered my questions, and I feel like I know what to do now,\u2018\u201d Benoit said.<\/p>\n

When tracers are unable to reach close contacts, she said it can be upsetting.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the choice, people certainly don\u2019t want to put their friends and family, who they care very much about, they don\u2019t want to put them at any additional risk,\u201d Benoit said. \u201cIt is disheartening, and also makes us nervous when people don\u2019t answer the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n

As people have started going out more, the exposure sites have changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose gatherings where there might be a bunch of friends or family together for a barbecue, or some other party in someone\u2019s backyard, things like that. Right now, we\u2019re seeing that those situations are where most of our close contacts are coming from,\u201d Benoit said.<\/p>\n

She hasn\u2019t lost any of her assigned contacts, but her colleagues have.<\/p>\n

\u201cHearing that they\u2019ve gotten sick and that they\u2019re not doing OK and then hearing that someone who you\u2019ve been following and checking in on has unfortunately passed away — That\u2019s heartbreaking and that\u2019s really hard,\u201d Benoit said.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s emotionally exhausting work, she said she\u2019ll keep doing it for as long as she\u2019s needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe truly truly care about the health and well-being of the people that we\u2019re contacting,\u201d Benoit said. \u201cAt the end of the day, we do feel like we\u2019re making a difference and that the work we\u2019re doing is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n