How does contact tracing work?
Contact tracing begins with the diagnosis of an infection. Testing labs, clinics, and hospitals report infections to the local health authority. The health authority then follows up with the infected person to try and identify people they have come into close contact with recently. Close contact is within 6 feet.
The health authority then contacts the individuals identified to warn them that they have been in close contact with a person who has tested positive with infection. The infected person remains anonymous.
These contacts may then undergo testing or, if they are already exhibiting symptoms, will be questioned about their own close contacts. The tracing process is therefore extended. Close contacts who can't be tested or who test negative are usually asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Why is contact tracing beneficial?
When contact tracing is conducted promptly and thoroughly, it can help slow or halt the spread of an infectious disease like COVID-19 by making people aware of their exposure to that disease.
Local health authorities can use the information gathered through contact tracing to decide whether to expand testing for an infectious disease, and to whom. They can also ask people waiting to be tested, or who have received test results, to self-quarantine if they have come into close contact with an infected person.
What is proximity analysis and tracing?
Locational data, gathered from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and mobile apps used in the workplace, can be employed to track the office population. The data identifies areas of contact such as group gatherings, as well as the duration and proximity of contact.
If an employee or visitor tests positive for an infectious disease that is being tracked, the employer can use proximity tracing data to alert people who had close contact with that infected person, and then institute testing protocols.
What are proximity-tracing protocols?
Proximity-tracing open protocols, such as Decentralized Privacy Preserving Proximity Tracing (DP3T) and Pan-European Privacy Preserving Proximity Tracing (PEPP), were developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
These protocols establish procedures for collecting and disseminating data on COVID-19 infections. The data can then be used by public health and other officials for contact-tracing purposes.