Head Of NYC Test And Trace Discusses 1 Million Close Contacts, COVID In Schools

WNYC News | Oct 8, 2021

After COVID-19 first swept through New York City, officials launched the Test & Trace Corps—arguably the largest contact tracing effort of its kind in the country. 

The corps tracks down so-called “close contacts” of known COVID cases—to keep individual outbreaks from spiraling out of control. The program recently recorded its one-millionth close contact—a major milestone that conveys the extent of its outreach.

But winter is coming, which means more time spent indoors and at home. The reopening of businesses and schools means several more sources of infections to track, and the delta variant continues to linger stubbornly over the city. 

Test & Trace Executive Director Dr. Ted Long joined WNYC host Michael Hill to discuss these threats and what the Test & Trace Corps has learned since its launch in June 2020. 

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