More Coronavirus Contact Tracers Added For Will County

JOLIET, IL — To find people exposed to the new coronavirus and slow the spread, the Will County Health Department announced it is hiring seven new contact tracers who are beginning work Monday, the amount of active callers is now more than 20.

The roster will grow to between 30 and 35 soon, as the schedule for the callers, working 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, continues to be filled, county health department officials said.

Contact tracing involves contacting people who have tested positive for COVID-19, then identifying the people they may have exposed and working with them to isolate themselves to slow the transmission of the disease.

A person diagnosed with COVID-19 will receive a call from a contact tracer, who will ask a series of questions including what symptoms they are experiencing and who they have been in contact with recently. The contact tracers will then call the people that have been exposed, inform them of their exposure and recommend that they isolate themselves for the following 14 days. Contact tracers will also provide education on what symptoms the contact should look out for, and where to find testing if they become symptomatic or feel the need to get tested. Contact tracers will also provide information on resources for food, care assistance, laundry, and other services that a patient or contact can utilize.

It is important to note that contact tracers will always identify themselves as employees of the Will County Health Department and will never ask for financial information, or any type of payment. If they ask for financial information or payment, it is a scam.

"We understand that some of these questions are personal and discussing personal information over the phone with a stranger is uncomfortable," the Will County Health Department announced in Monday's news release. "Please know that these questions are vital to determining your risk level and the level of risk posed to others who may have been infected. Your privacy is our priority, and confidentiality is a concern that is constantly enforced. However, if you are a COVID-19 positive patient, informing your contacts of their exposure is vital to slow the transmission, and the Will County Health Department’s contact tracers understand the need for confidentiality. If you are a COVID-19 positive patient, the contact tracer will not disclose your information to your contacts. Your contacts will only be told that they have been exposed to COVID-19, they will not be told who exposed them."

If you receive a call from a contact tracer, it is crucial that you answer the phone or return the call as soon as possible. They will inform you of your exposure, assess your symptoms and provide information on testing sites if you are symptomatic or wish to be tested. Identifying and isolating contacts quickly is the key to slowing the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Communities unable to quickly trace and isolate contacts of COVID-19 positive patients run the risk of rapidly spreading the disease, the health department recommended.