Online form to speed up COVID-19 contact tracing in Fraser Health region
Posted December 4, 2020 2:46 pm.
SURREY (NEWS 1130) — A new online option is being used in the Fraser Health region to help COVID-19 contact tracing and get information out faster during the second surge of the virus.
Starting Friday, people who have tested positive are being encouraged to fill out an online form, so public health workers can contact people who may have been exposed to the virus.
Dr. Victoria Lee, the CEO of Fraser Health, says people who come in contact with someone who tested positive are typically notified within 24 hours.
.@fraserhealth announces new option to improve #COVID19 contact tracing.
People who have tested positive can now fill out a form online.@DrVictoriaLeeFH announcing details soon via teleconference. #bcpoli @NEWS1130
More information here https://t.co/RySey0jIYe.
— Marcella Bernardo (@Bernardo1130) December 4, 2020
“The contact tracing then goes back to about two days before the symptomatic date, when you’re pre-symptomatic, in terms of the potential exposures,” she says. “That’s why there are usually several days even if we’re getting back to people within 24 hours.”
The form is also meant to help relieve some of the stigma of people having to tell others they have COVID-19.
Lee notes nearly 70 per cent of the province’s new COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the Fraser Health region, and most people testing positive are between 20 and 39 years old.
Most new #COVID19 cases are people 20-39 years old.
New form gives public health access to potential exposure contacts to follow up with. @Fraserhealth currently has capacity to handle 600 cases per day.
More staff are being hired to help 500+ staff. #bcpoli @NEWS1130
— Marcella Bernardo (@Bernardo1130) December 4, 2020
“I want to emphasize for the past several weeks we’ve seen a significant number of cases that have grown.,” Lee says. “We have seen a stabilization of cases in the recent week, but we have been improving our case and contact management process.”
The region can currently only handle 600 investigations per day, so work continues to hire more staff to help more than 500 workers already dedicated to contact tracing.
For those who might not be able to access the online form, they can still call public health to get the same information out and contact tracing can start.
Lee reminds anyone waiting for COVID-19 test results, they must self-isolate.
If anyone is experiencing symptoms or needs health advice, they can call 811. Click here for a Fraser Health booking form.
For more COVID-19 information for the Fraser Health region, click here.
