Contact tracing identifies, and monitors people who have been exposed to someone who has been infected with SARS-CoV-2, and involves several steps:
Defining contacts: Contact definitions may vary by country. WHO defines a contact as a person who has been exposed to someone else who has had recent probable or confirmed
Identifying contacts: this is
Informing contacts: each
Managing and monitoring contacts
Data processes and analysis: The information collected from each contact is stored in a secure database
A contact
Comprehensive contact tracing should be implemented each time cases or clusters
It is important to maintain contact tracing and quarantine of contacts even when the
Several training materials have been developed by WHO and partners and may be adapted to local needs. Many are available through the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) knowledge platform, and OpenWHO. Training should include the basics of virus transmission, prevention and control measures; how to monitor signs and symptoms; and standard operating procedures for contact tracing, including interview tips and ethics of public health surveillance and quarantine. Contact tracers should also be briefed on their rights, roles and responsibilities, including for occupational safety and health. It is important for public health authorities to train the contact tracing workforce when there is no or low transmission, and anticipate ways to be able to scale the size of the trained contact tracing workforce, if transmission increases.
Another main challenge is the intensity of the COVID-19 transmission. In situations of intense transmission, public health resources can quickly become overwhelmed and often cannot cope with the workload of identifying contacts and monitoring them. In such situations, WHO recommends focusing on the contacts with highest exposure and those most at risk of developing severe disease.
Electronic tools and information technology
The ethics of public health information, data protection, and data privacy must be considered at all levels of contact tracing activities,