AUSTIN, Texas — According to Austin Public Health, contact tracing has not gotten any easier since it announced last month it wasn't working as well as hoped.
As COVID-19 cases seem to top out in Austin, contract tracing volunteers like JD Lewis are in a race against the clock.
"To identify when they were infectious, whether or not they were having symptoms and who they were in contact with during their infectious period," said Lewis on what he is tasked with.
A month ago, when new cases were really taking off, Lewis started volunteering with UT Health and Dell Medical School to help Austin Public Health keep up with who has been exposed. In his six-hour shift, Lewis said he makes about 30 calls.
"Two or three people on the phone and we do detailed interviews with them – you know, that's a pretty good shift for one person," explained Lewis.
But Austin Public Health said a month ago contact tracing was not working as well as it needs to, and in a statement released on Friday, it said nothing has changed.
RELATED:
"In times of uncontrolled spread of a disease with symptoms that may not present until two weeks after infection, contact tracing becomes difficult. Between trips to the grocery store, restaurants and visiting homes of family and friends, a person can make hundreds of contacts in a single week," said Austin Public Health.
Despite these obstacles, contact tracers like Lewis will keep trying as best they can.
"While the virus is active in the community, the contact tracers are the next best defense that will slow down the spread in the community," explained Lewis. "So be comfortable if you get a call from a tracer."
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: