LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — The Louisiana Department of Health has outlined a plan for tracing COVID-19 that will help control the spread.
Regional medical director, Dr. Tina Stefanski says, “This is just another method to quickly call and identify individuals and their contacts.”
Those who have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed as COVID-19 positive will receive a call from the contract tracing call center located here in Lafayette.
“First, the investigator will try to determine where someone might’ve been exposed and also get a list of their contacts so then we can have contact tracers notify those individuals that they were potentially exposed to the virus and talk to them through what their next steps should be,” she continues.
When the tracers call the contacts, the name of the infected individual will not be exposed.
“They have been through confidentiality training. The applications they use are compliant. The patient confidentiality is really the important measure that we use to guide these investigations, she says.
Contact tracers are working remotely from their homes and they will be calling from 1-877-766-2130.
Stefanski encourages those to answer the phone immediately when this number comes up on your phone because this method is an effective way to protect the community.