SCRANTON, Pa. — Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine says it has been a problem. Contract tracers are making calls when someone tests positive for COVID-19, giving instructions about isolation, and trying to figure out who else they may have been in contact with and who else may be infected.
The problem, according to Dr. Levine, is that some people are not answering the call.
“We have had that, people not answering their phone and not responding to our contact tracers and our case investigators, and that definitely is an issue because we want to know if they tested positive and what to do to protect their families and their communities.”
Dr. Levine said the free COVID-19 tracking app, COVID Alert PA, has helped. Thousands of people statewide are using it. State health officials are hoping 1 million Pennsylvanians get it.
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“We have well over 360,000 people who have signed up for the app, and the more people who sign up, the more effective the app is," said Dr. Levine.
Dr. Levine called the app a wonderful tool, but with COVID-19 cases surging in some spots, she is urging everyone to take those contact tracing calls seriously.
“This virus has shown us how interconnected we all are, and there really is a responsibility that we have to our communities and the common good to do the right thing.”