We’re here to support you in any way we can.
Gracias por su tiempo (thank you for your time).
Main aapase kal baat karoonga (I’ll talk to you tomorrow).
Contact tracing isn’t new to public health; however, its goal is easier said than done—to limit contact between people who are infected and healthy individuals in order to diminish opportunities for the virus to be transmitted further.
On May 11th, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health launched the free online course “COVID-19 Contact Tracing” to help recruit volunteer contact tracers as some states and cities moved towards reopening.
You guessed it: I decided to sign up.
The course summarized a contact tracer's job to support people who've tested positive for COVID-19 and to identify anyone else they've come into contact with recently. Individuals suspected of exposure are contacted and advised to quarantine for 14 days.
“How do I know you’re not working for ICE to get the names of my family?”
I also got to learn about sensitive situations in which a person who tests positive, known as a “case,” might be reluctant to disclose their contact list: they may be undocumented, having an affair, or untrusting of the government. There's also a chance that the contact tracer might know the person they are calling, especially if they live in the county they serve.
After receiving my certification, I was listed on the The National Alliance of Research Associates Programs (NARAP) Tracer Registry and my local public health department reached out to me to complete a state official virtual training.
A week later, I had my first shift.
In today’s age of frequent phone scammers and undesired telemarketing calls, it’s no surprise that people would feel anxious and skeptical of an unrecognized phone number calling. I quickly learned that cold-calling people with news of possible exposure to the virus and knowledge of their personal information can come off as intrusive and insensitive.
“It feels so good to talk to someone who finally understands me.”
That’s why my job took detective work, empathy, and rapport building skills to get people to trust me. As someone who can fluently speak Spanish and Hindi/Gujarati interchangeably, I was assigned phone calls to people who felt helpless and struggled speaking English as a primary language. The advantage of knowing three languages helped me establish a sense of mutual understanding and openness from the start.
I’d then start asking those who tested positive for the coronavirus questions around high-risk events: Have you recently traveled? Have you been to a large conference? Have you been to the movie theater or a graduation party?
These questions ranged in timeframe from two days before symptom onset, to then day-by-day check-ins. When speaking with the elderly, it took a lot of patience to help them walk through the process of remembering all the places they had been. It’s common for people to say, "I didn't do anything yesterday," but it was my job to dig for overlooked details. A simple “I just went outside to take my dog for a walk,” can unveil a stop with two friendly neighbors to chat and an interaction with an eager child asking to pet the dog.
“Can you tell me who I could have gotten the virus from? I think you’re mistaken.”
Some of the conversations I’ve had so far have been tricky to navigate. Some contacts are upset to hear of their possible exposure to the virus and demand to know the name of the case they interacted with. Some cases are asymptomatic and don’t wish to quarantine. Sometimes people aren’t entirely honest about where they’ve been and who they’ve seen in order to protect their personal lives.
An important part of my public health training was being aware of the social determinants that may have led to a case being infected. It’s crucial as a contact tracer to put bias and personal opinion aside instead of assessing blame or judging a case. Perhaps he/or she didn’t have access to childcare and absolutely had to go into work that day. Or maybe it was Ramadan, and after a full day of fasting, there was no choice but to go to nightly prayer and a family member’s house for a large meal. Being aware and sensitive of each person’s situation can be advantageous in talking to them effectively to get them to open up.
“I have a family of six. I'll lose my job if I don’t go to work next week.”
At first, hearing people’s stories about their experience with COVID-19 was scary and overwhelming to an extent. The people who were staying at home and isolating themselves described their loneliness and really looked forward to these daily phone call conversations. For the people who were extremely anxious and frightened, the conversations helped diminish all their worries and provide supportive resources.
Some conversations are painful and heart-wrenching. A lot of people desperately need to go back to work and just want to know when they can. Some can’t hug their loved ones, be there for a wedding, or see the birth of their grandchild due to social distancing and travel restrictions.
“My husband passed away from the virus last week and I have symptoms now.”
Talking to so many people and hearing their stories can be emotionally exhausting at times, but I now see the parallel between being a contact tracer and a physician: they’re both roles that require being one-part health worker, one-part investigator, and one-part therapist.
So, if you’re thinking about being a contact tracer, I’m here to tell you that you don’t necessarily need to be a formally trained epidemiologist or public health official. Knowing how the disease is transmitted and being able to put yourself in that person’s shoes is really all that’s needed.
“Thank you.”
Statistics aside, these are individual people who have had their lives drastically affected and want to know that they're supported and cared for. Contact tracers remind these people that they are crucial to helping the community by isolating themselves.
There is nothing quite like hearing someone say, “Thank you” and let out a sigh of relief when I tell a case that I’ll be calling back each day to check on their status.
That simple “Thank you” reminds me why I love medicine and why I’m proud to be a COVID-19 Contact Tracer.