LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Contact tracers in Kentucky are working around the clock and asking for more help to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Louisville Metro Health started with a team of 50 people at the beginning of the pandemic, but today there are more than 300 members making between 1200 to 1700 calls to trace possible contacts.
"People are working shifts from 8 to 8," said Karen Handmaker, contact tracing lead at Metro Health. "Plus we have that Lou Health helpline that is 24/7, and people are increasingly calling that line because we are encouraging them to because we can help them faster in some cases than if they wait for us to call them."
Handmaker said when the pandemic started it was easier to track down a person from groups like a church or restaurant.
"When I came in to this job in May we didn't have Lacuna hired yet, but the Department of Public Health was doing contact tracing as they could and we had about 30 cases a day," Handmaker said.
At the end of March there were less than 600 cases across the Commonwealth. More than 1,000 new cases in Kentucky have been reported each day in November thus far.
"We are now also much more expert with this and we have a lot more experience," Handmaker said. "We understand now when we have people who have done hundreds of interviews already."
Handmaker said she anticipates hiring more people ahead of the winter months.
"We are working on that model as we speak but for right now we are continuing to hire classes that are anywhere from 30 to 50 or more," she said.
The Metro Health Department along with Lacuna Health will host a virtual hiring event Thursday, Nov. 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. To learn how you can register click here.
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