Could Contact Tracing Backfire? Nations Grapple With Ways To Ensure Privacy While Finding Paths Of Infection
"The fears over surveillance could ultimately lead to a decrease in testing at precisely the time that we want people to trust public health authorities and go and get tested,” said Jennifer Daskal, an American University faculty director of tech programs. News on contact tracing is from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas and North Carolina, as well.
Politico/South China Morning Post:
Governments Worldwide Navigate Privacy Versus Urgency In Fight Against Covid-19
Using an app on your smartphone to track whether you’ve been in close contact with people who have contracted Covid-19 seems — at first glance — like a perfectly plausible way to use new technology to help tackle a global health crisis that has sickened millions and brought the world economy to its knees. There’s just one problem — data privacy. Tracing the whereabouts of infected patients has become a central plank in government efforts around the world to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Traditionally, contact tracing was done through in-person interviews with medical professionals. Now smartphones have the power to streamline and automate that process. (Ye, Feng and Yu, 6/8)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
As Jersey Shore Coronavirus Cases Prove Value Of Contact Tracing, Post-Protest Testing In Philly Could Be Scarce
One New Jersey resident at a Cape May house party on Memorial Day weekend may have been the source of at least a dozen new coronavirus cases in Bucks County. “This is exactly why we can’t let our guard down now, even if it feels ‘safe’ to be at the beach,” David Damsker, director of the Bucks County Health Department, said in a statement. But there’s an upside. Because Bucks County health officials have been “contact tracing” — interviewing people with the infection to find out where they’ve been — it was possible to figure out this epidemiological puzzle. The episode illustrates the crucial role contact tracing will play in limiting the potential for a resurgence of the virus. (McCarthy, Gantz and McCullough, 6/8)
The Texas Observer:
In Rural Texas, COVID-19 Contact Tracing Is Largely Up To Local Officials, If It Happens At All
For the last few weeks, L.D. Williamson has fielded calls from worried neighbors. COVID-19 has spread quickly through Red River County in far Northeast Texas, and residents want to know who has it. Williamson, the county judge tasked with managing the coronavirus response, tells them the same thing: he doesn’t know any more than they do. When the first positive case showed up in Red River in mid-April, Williamson only found out who had tested positive thanks to a Facebook post from the patient’s wife. That was lucky, because the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) wouldn’t tell him. Now Williamson says state officials still won’t reveal who has the virus out of privacy concerns, even as cases balloon in the rural community. As far as he knows, no one is making sure those infected are staying home, or contacting others they’ve been around. (Novack, 6/8)
WCNC:
NC Health Officials Hoping To Increase Contact Tracing
With the number of coronavirus cases continuing to rise, health officials are stepping up the effort to notify people who have been exposed to the virus in North Carolina. On Monday, state officials gave updates on their efforts on contact tracing, which they say is an effective way to stop the spread. However, the WCNC Charlotte Defenders team previously found contact tracing isn't always happening in Mecklenburg County. State officials say they’re helping with resources, but ultimately it’s up to counties to let people know if they’ve been exposed, and that’s where some of the big events have happened. North Carolina currently has 250 contact tracers and hired 152 new ones, according to the state’s website. (Shabad, 6/8)
