Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
NYC's Decision To Put Hospital System In Charge Of Contact Tracing Raises Eyebrows
The New York Times: De Blasio Strips Control Of Virus Tracing From Health Department
New York City will soon assemble an army of more than 1,000 disease detectives to trace the contacts of every person who tests positive for the coronavirus, an approach seen as crucial to quelling the outbreak and paving the way to reopen the hobbled city. But that effort will not be led by the city’s renowned Health Department, which for decades has conducted contact tracing for diseases such as tuberculosis, H.I.V. and Ebola, city officials said on Thursday. (Goodman, Rashbaum and Mays, 5/7)
The New York Times: Travel From New York City Seeded Wave Of U.S. Outbreaks
New York City’s coronavirus outbreak grew so large by early March that the city became the primary source of new infections in the United States, new research reveals, as thousands of infected people traveled from the city and seeded outbreaks around the country. The research indicates that a wave of infections swept from New York City through much of the country before the city began setting social distancing limits to stop the growth. That helped to fuel outbreaks in Louisiana, Texas, Arizona and as far away as the West Coast. (Carey and Glanz, 5/7)
In other news on contact tracing —
NPR: Some States Plan To Big Increase In Contact Tracing Staff To Fight Coronavirus
In late April, NPR surveyed all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia to ask them about their contact tracing workforce. That survey showed that states had, or planned to have, around 36,000 workers in total focused on contact tracing, a key strategy to contain the spread of the coronavirus and prevent outbreaks. In ten days since NPR first published the results of this survey, we've received responses from several more states; in addition some states with big populations announced new plans to increase contact tracing. (Simmons-Duffin, 5/7)
