For the past two years, local health departments have conducted COVID-19 contact tracing. Just recently the Illinois Department of Public Health has rolled out a centralized contact tracing in which individuals testing positive will receive a text message with their results. Warren County Health Department Administrator Jenna Link explains:
“If you test positive for COVID; that report has always gone into the state and eventually comes down to the local health department for the county you reside in. As soon as that positive goes through now, the surge center or the central processing center for the Illinois Department of Public Health is going to start sending out a text message to you saying ‘Illinois Department of Public Health has an important call for you; you have tested positive’ and it will link you to the state website so you can go right to that and start looking at all the different steps that you should be following if you are a positive COVID case. It is just a centralized text messaging service that really kind of pushes that information out right away.”
Administrator Link informs those receiving the texts will have to “opt in” to receive further information. Local health departments will continue to respond to cases in high-risk settings and be able to see details on cases to identify any potential outbreak areas.
**Written by WMOI/WRAM Director of Communications Kelsey Crain**
