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These Elite Contact Tracers Show the World How to Beat Covid-19

Heesu Lee

July 25, 2020 |

Bloomberg |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Korea

After a coronavirus flareup that killed nearly 300, South Korean public health authorities used rigorous contact tracing investigations to prevent a second wave of illnesses. As of July 2020, the country’s new cases had plateaued for two months at less than 10% of their February levels, and only 8% of new cases came from unknown origins, a much lower rate than most other countries. The country’s Immediate Response Team’s work has allowed the nation to avoid disruptive shutdowns by aggressively targeting dangerous hot spots before they spread.

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Vietnam took drastic early action to fight the coronavirus — and has reported zero deaths

Christina Farr

July 23, 2020 |

CNBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Vietnam

Vietnam is home to 95 million people, yet the country has reported less than 450 cases of coronavirus and not a single death thanks to quick implementation of lessons the country learned from the 2003 SARS pandemic. Although not all went smoothly in the country's response and critics have called some measures "excessive," the overall use of contact tracing, quarantine, and both business and movement restrictions have seemingly successfully contained the spread of the virus.

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Germany's coronavirus response is a master class in science communication

Christina Farr

July 21, 2020 |

CNBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany

To contain the spread of the coronavirus, Germany relied heavily on communication and information tactics that prioritized the voices of health and science officials. Although misinformation was still a problem for the country, the overall approach in enhancing scientific communication appears to have payed off given that country has one of the lowest mortality rates in Europe.

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South Korea's Key Weapon to Stop the Pandemic? Smartphones

Dasl Yoon

July 16, 2020 |

Wall Street Journal |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: South Korea

In South Korea, the government is using smartphone technology, including various independent apps and text messaging, to implement contact tracing. This has enabled the country's economy to avoid a full shutdown. Early results comparing South Korea to other countries shows that this digital strategy is just as successful as implementing complete lockdowns.

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How Taiwan beat the coronavirus

Christina Farr

July 15, 2020 |

CNBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Taiwan

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, Taiwan – a country of nearly 24 million people – has reported less than 500 cases and only seven deaths, largely due to the rapid implementation of a public health emergency response plan. By successfully using a combination of quarantine measures, social pressure, technology, and consistent communication, the country was able to begin reopening in May.

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Why Rwanda Is Doing Better Than Ohio When It Comes To Controlling COVID-19

Jason Beaubien

July 15, 2020 |

NPR |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Rwanda

Rwanda, a country with the same population of Ohio, has emerged as an example of how to slow the spread of coronavirus, with only 1,500 cases reported so far. Besides initiating a lockdown, implementing free testing, and recruiting community health care workers, police, and college students to be contact tracers, officials also used "the same structure, same people, same infrastructure and laboratory diagnostics" that had been working to contain the spread of HIV.

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How to Get Contact Tracing Right

Ellie Vance

July 14, 2020 |

Washington Monthly |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York

During the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, early efforts at contact tracing by different states in the U.S. proved successful when they relied on people instead of applications or software, which showed high rates of failure since people didn't seem to want to participate or download the applications. New York state relied on human contact tracers, specifically those who lived in the neighborhoods they track. "The city’s initiative has shown early success: As of June 16, it had reached 94% of all new positive cases."

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Community Workers Lend Human Connection To COVID-19 Response

Rob Waters

July 07, 2020 |

Health Affairs |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Community health workers have long been helping people navigate the intersection of health care and social services in the United States, such as in Philadelphia, where one program stands out for its overall design and continuous rigorous evaluation. Studies of the program indicate that those who worked with community health workers improved their overall health compared to those who received standard care. Now, as many cities navigate the Covid-19 pandemic, some officials see an opportunity to expand the workforce to also provide "social, material and psychological support."

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Paradise Lockdown: How Thailand's Phuket Island flattened its coronavirus curve

Nina Milhaud

July 06, 2020 |

Asia Sentinel |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Thailand, Phuket

Despite devastating economic consequences, Thailand’s quick and hardline response to early signs of COVID-19 spread contained the virus and within weeks limited the country’s infections to just over 3,000 as of July 1, a far better record than nearby countries. Tourism-dependent Phuket Island was Thailand’s only province to impose a total lockdown for more than one month. Thanks to aggressive travel restrictions, contact tracing, and quarantines of possibly infected residents and travelers, the stringent measures paid off as restaurants and shops began reopening in early May.

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SF contact tracing team asks those who have been exposed to COVID-19 to quarantine for 14 days

Michael Toren

July 01, 2020 |

Mission Local |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

San Francisco public health officials added to their staff of 25 experienced investigators to form a team of more than 100 contact tracers to try to identify and isolate new cases of COVID-19. In the second two weeks of June 2020, the expanded team reached 82% of COVID cases and 85% of those people's contacts, not far off from the 90% goals set at the start. City lawyers, librarians, and others were drafted to the cause, with 276 people receiving contact-tracer training. One gap in the agency's work is not being able to monitor and enforce compliance with quarantine orders once contacts are found.

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