Lane County Public Health well prepared for 'test and trace' strategy for Coronavirus

Contact tracing has been a commonly used practice in the medical community for a long time.

But it is now a key strategy in tracking the spread of Coronavirus in the area.

"changing our lives around shelter in place and social distancing orders has been a difficult process for many.

But for those contact tracers at lane county public health, it's made things substantially easier.

Now, instead of a positive case of coronavirus potentially coming into contact with dozens, if not hundreds of people, they are more restricted.

Which can signal a potential turn in the fight against covid-19, even if it means making this our new normal for a little bit longer."

Alice: we really need a good understanding of how and what is a contact.

How long does somebody need to be with somebody?

Or if the guy running down the trail with his dog and has covid-19, did he infect everyone he passed along the way.

So that along with the ability to test is going to be really important for us to understand this up until we get a vaccine.

More testing...even in those that aren't showing covid symptoms...will go a long way in helping tracers and those that compile that data.

Catharine: being able to test more freely in people who are asymptomatic is able to do a lot towards us understanding where we are in lane county right now.

And until there is a vaccine...it will require more of what we're doing right now.

Cindy: we will use the tools we have right now which is social distancing, wearing a mask, and if you can't social distance, testing and contact follow up.

Those are the tools we have right now.

Of course all of this data is for researchers to see a clearer picture as to what kind of virus covid-19 is, how it behaves, and how to beat it.

If the 'test and trace' strategy continues to ramp up, it could mean social distancing for a longer period of time.

But what it also means is that when public health officials feel confident giving the all clear, it will truly be all clear.

Reporting in eugene, andrew haubner, kezi 9 news.