Contact tracing will help slow the spread of COVID-19

With new outbreaks being reported in today’s OHA Weekly Report and cases rising in Malheur county and surrounding areas, it’s important to know what to do if you are in contact with a positive case. Learn more about it from the Oregon Health Authority here.

WHAT IS CONTACT TRACING AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Contact tracing means calling people who may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 to provide guidance and support. It’s a key tool for preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus. In Oregon, local public health authorities use contact tracing to prevent the spread of many types of diseases, like measles. Contact tracers help keep you healthy and slow the spread of COVID-19 by:

• Talking with you about how to prevent the spread of the virus, including staying home or at the location provided by public health until the danger has passed. This is known as “quarantining.”
• Providing health information on how to care for yourself and others if you start having symptoms.
• Sharing resources available in your community that can support you while you quarantine.

COVID-19 Outbreaks reported in latest Weekly Report by Oregon Health Authority

• Pioneer Place: 39 cases
• Riverside Manor: 3 cases
• Dorian Place Assisted Living: 23 cases
• Wellsprings Assisted Living: 6 cases
• Nyssa Gardens: 9 cases
• Brookdale Assisted Living: 37 cases
• Snake River Correctional Institution: 436 cases
• Kraft Heinz Company: 20 cases
• Walmart: 10 cases
• Amalgamated Sugar: 9 cases
• Oregon Child Development Center – Nyssa: 5 cases
• Oregon Child Development Center – Ontario: 3 cases