Survey on National Contact Tracing Workforce
Contact tracing is an essential tool of the public health response to COVID-19. Successful contact tracing programs identify contacts of infected cases early and enable contacts of cases to quarantine safely. This can help break chains of transmission and reduce the burden of disease in communities, making it safer for reopening schools and businesses.
In April 2020, experts at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security estimated that at least 100,000 new contact tracers would be needed across the United States.
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security is working with National Public Radio (NPR) and Partners In Health to collect national data on the workforce status and effectiveness of contact tracing programs in each state. The team is conducting a series of surveys that ask state and territorial public health departments questions about COVID-19 contact tracing. The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security team will continue to field surveys and collect data periodically, which will be reported publicly on the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center website. NPR will also report on the results of each survey as it is released.
For technical inquiries, please contact Crystal Watson, DrPH or Lucia Mullen, MPH.