Contact tracing becoming more selective, as Jackson Co. reaches over 3,400 cases

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. –COVID-19 cases have gotten so high in Jackson County, that contact tracers can’t keep up.
Traditionally, if someone tested positive for COVID-19, the team of contact tracers with Jackson County would call the handful of people you’ve been in close contact with.
The tracers would also check in and see how the person is feeling during the course of the 14 days.
Now, all of that responsibility lies on the person that tested positive for COVID-19, because the county simply can’t keep up with the rising number of cases.
“We are kind of assuming that the population understands the disease much better than it did, and once people kind of understand what’s being asked of them, we move on because of we have 80 new cases today,” said Jackson County Public Health Officer, Dr. Jim Shames.
Contact tracing is being done, but much more selectively now.
If you test positive, you are expected to contact anyone you have been around, as soon as possible and isolate yourself.

© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.

Jenna King is the 6pm and 11pm anchor for NBC5 News. Jenna is a Burbank, CA native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at Oregon she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through her internship with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors or binging on the latest Netflix release.
Skip to content