More Isolation, Tracing, Masks Needed Amid Pandemic
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) – More isolation of COVID-19 patients, increased contact tracing and greater use of face masks in the workplace are needed to combat the coronavirus pandemic, a new report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
Less than half, 46 percent, of patients with COVID-19 who were surveyed by the agency reported known close contact with infected people in the two weeks leading up to their own diagnoses, according to a new Morbidity and Mortality report.
At 45 percent, family members topped the list of reported prior known contacts, followed by work colleagues at 34 percent.
The findings came from a telephone survey between April 15 and May 24 of 350 patients who had tested positive for COVID-19 at one of 11 academic medical centers.
The survey included inpatients and outpatients. Patients from Florida academic institutions were not part of the survey.
About 64 percent of the survey respondents were employed, but only 17 percent were able to telework, according to the report.
"Case investigation, contact tracing, and isolation of infected persons are needed to prevent ongoing community transmission, given the frequent lack of a known contact," the survey said. "Enhanced measures to ensure workplace safety, including social distancing and more widespread use of cloth face coverings, are warranted."
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