Contact-Tracing Programs Fumble in the USA

Despite aggressive efforts by health departments, many COVID-19 patients do not report their close contacts, and many contacts cannot be reached, according to the U.S. CDC announcement on September 25, 2020. As an example, during periods of high COVID-19 incidence in North Carolina, 48% of COVID-19 patients reported no close-contacts, and 25% of contacts were not reached in Mecklenburg County.

The CDC stated 'improved timeliness of contact tracing, community engagement, and community-wide mitigation are needed to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission.'