Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health is adding his voice to the growing chorus calling on health officials in Canada to do more to trace the contacts of COVID-19 patients. “Given the increasing number of cases, all public health units should implement more aggressive contact tracing and management as we work collectively to flatten the curve,” said David Williams in a memo to local health officials obtained by Global News. ‘Contract tracing’ involves detective work: retracing the steps of a COVID-19 patient and tracking down anyone who may have had contact with them.
But that’s easier said than done, especially in cases where patients were contagious for several days before being diagnosed and placed into quarantine.