Contact Tracing Used to Investigate Bucks Co. COVID Cases

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UPDATE: Cape May County began including out-of-county residents who test positive in its daily COVID tally June 22, after this article was written.
COURT HOUSE – After a Cape May County house party produced at least 12 COVID-19 infections, there is increased worry that the daily COVID tally produced by the county does not fully illustrate the virus’s spread. 
New Jersey health officials said that contact tracing, a method of tracking COVID-19’s spread, which involves phone calls to the infected and those in contact with the infected, might give a clearer picture of the cases that come in and out of Cape May County. 
COVID trends have shown that the county is among the safest places in the state, in terms of new reported infections. There were only two new cases in the county June 14, compared to 305 new infections across the state. On average, Cape May County makes up a fraction of a percent of each day’s new cases. 
Yet, many infections that might originate in Cape May County may not show up in county, or even state, records. Bucks County, Pennsylvania has seen an uptick of at least 12 cases, with more expected, as the infected come in contact with others. All 12 cases originated in Cape May County, yet local numbers will not reflect that reality.
Due to the nature of the county’s in-and-out summer population, a single local infection here might spread to dozens or more. After all, the first reported infection of the pandemic in the U.S. originated in New York City.
Contact tracing can be difficult, especially in the state’s northern regions, where cases are more frequent and population density makes it more challenging to trace a wide network of connections. 
In smaller counties, such as Cape May County, contact tracing is more feasible and fruitful. In light of a verified instance where Cape May County helped facilitate the out-of-state spread of COVID-19, contact tracing is pivotal in locating and stopping hotbeds of infection. 
According to a new statement from the Cape May County Health Department, a “contact tracer begins an investigation within 24 hours of a positive case being identified. The contact tracer will call you, identify themselves, and ask you a series of questions. The most important part of the investigation is compiling the contact list. The contact list can link that individual to another positive COVID-19 case and identify anyone that has been exposed.”
Contact tracing efforts are being coordinated between Bucks County and Cape May County to trace the initial source of the infection. In a statement to The Press of Atlantic City, Epidemiologist Dr. Tina Tan said, “We are gathering information to understand who was the initial source of exposure that caused the outbreak.” The investigation is now under jurisdiction of the state Health Department, which did not respond to a request for comment. 
As the tourism increases, it remains important for locals and visitors to exercise extreme caution when coming into contact with others. Even as the state continues to ease restrictions, Gov. Phil Murphy’s guidelines include 6-feet-apart social distancing and requirements to wear masks. 
The Wildwood and Ocean City boardwalks are dense and filled with people from all over, yet a visit to either may not be nearly as dangerous as attendance to a house party, such as the one that caused the Bucks County outbreak. 
In a report on contact tracing (https://bit.ly/3hSYjSg), Cape May County’s Director of Public Health Nursing Natalie Sendler makes a clear distinction between passing by a maskless stranger and staying in close contact with them. Exposure to strangers is significantly more dangerous when contact exceeds 10 minutes. 
As contact tracing emerges as a key strategy in monitoring cases that come in and out of the relatively small Cape May County, one truth remains clear: maybe don’t attend parties quite yet.