COVID-19 Contact Tracing | CDC

>After COVID-19 Contact Tracing Comes Quarantine. Here’s How That Works : Shots – Health News : NPR

Contact tracing is key to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and helps keep you, your family, and your community safe.

Full CDC site on contact tracing at Source: >COVID-19 Contact Tracing | CDC

“Contact tracing is used by health departments to prevent the spread of infectious disease. In general, contact tracing involves identifying people who have an infectious disease (cases) and people who they came in contact with (contacts) and working with them to interrupt disease spread. This includes asking people with COVID-19 to >isolate and their contacts to >quarantine at home voluntarily.

“To prevent the further spread of disease, people who had contact with someone with COVID-19 are encouraged to stay home and maintain social distance (at least 6 feet) from others until 14 days after their last exposure to a person with COVID-19. Contacts should monitor themselves by checking their temperature twice daily and watching for symptoms of COVID-19.

If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, a public health worker may call you to check-in on your health, discuss who you’ve been in contact with, and ask where you spent time while you may have been infectious and able to spread COVID-19 to others. You will also be asked to stay at home and >self-isolate, if you are not doing so already.

Continue at CDC source link above for full details.

Good news for a change. Coronavirus Antibody Testing Shows Lower Fatality Rate For Infection : Shots – Health News : NPR

Tests for the immune response to the coronavirus are revealing thousands of people who were infected but never got severely ill. The findings suggest the virus is less deadly than it first appeared.

Full story of excerpts below at Source: >Coronavirus Antibody Testing Shows Lower Fatality Rate For Infection : Shots – Health News : NPR

Mounting evidence suggests the coronavirus is more common and less deadly than it first appeared. The evidence comes from tests that detect antibodies to the coronavirus in a person’s blood rather than the virus itself.

The tests are finding large numbers of people in the U.S. who were infected but never became seriously ill. And when these mild infections are included in coronavirus statistics, the virus appears less dangerous. …But even a virus with a fatality rate less than 1% presents a formidable threat.

“That is many times more deadly than seasonal influenza,” ….Studies suggest a healthy young person’s chance of dying from an infection is less than 1 in 1,000. But for someone in poor health in their 90s, it can be greater than 1 in 10...And that means different states in the U.S. should expect different infection fatality rates.

 

Where do I get my Covid-19 test? Test for Current Infection | CDC

Hello! Today I had big one; in a mad rush to find testing information for an elder friend with a cough. I found out that public health websites are not as user friendly for anyone in a panic. My conclusions are that CDC provides the best web pages on what to do but for local testing resources call 211 or google it as below. Go figure!

In the google search below change to your zip code and you will get a nice map to click on showing a larger map with locations and phone numbers around you in the left panel . You must call first and they will give questions or instructions how to register to schedule the test:

>Google search for local Covid-19 testing sites.

Below are excerpts and great info from the CDC. Full Resource page of below at Source: >Test for Current Infection | CDC

“Viral tests check samples from your respiratory system (such as swabs of the inside of the nose) to tell you if you currently have an infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Some tests are point-of-care tests, meaning results may be available at the testing site in less than an hour. Other tests must be sent to a laboratory to analyze, a process that takes 1-2 days once received by the lab.”

There is an excellent Self-Checker application on the site “A guide to help you make decisions and seek appropriate care”

“CDC has guidance for who should be tested, but decisions about testing are made by state and local health departments or healthcare providers… If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and want to get tested, call your healthcare provider first. You can also visit your state or local health department’s website to look for the latest local information on testing. Although supplies of tests are increasing, it may still be difficult to find a place to get tested.

“To get your test result, please check with the group that performed your test, such as your healthcare provider or your health department. Check the CDC website to locate your health department information. How long it will take to get your test results back depends on the test used. If you test positive for COVID-19, know what protective steps to take If You Are Sick or Caring for Someone.

Some of the links on the website:

• Symptoms
• Testing
• Prevent Getting Sick
• If You Are Sick
• Daily Life & Coping
• People Who Need Extra Precautions
• Frequently Asked Questions

How Antibody Tests Can Inform Public Policies To Mitigate Coronavirus Pandemic : NPR

>MedCram – Medical Lectures Explained CLEARLY

(Video) “COVID-19 Update 54 with critical care specialist Roger Seheult, MD of https://www.MedCram.com Production of COVID-19 antibody test kits are ramping up – there are over 70 companies producing them. Antibody tests could be one of the keys to eventually easing social distancing restrictions and allowing schools and businesses to re-open. Unfortunately, only one antibody test is FDA approved at this time, and the approval of each company will take some time. Dr. Seheult illustrates how antibody tests and PCR-RT tests for COVID-19 work on the cellular level, and he discusses potential coronavirus vaccine challenges.”

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“Stanford is testing for coronavirus antibodies so they can determine who has been exposed and who could potentially go back to school or work. NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO,

“HOST:The only way we’ll truly get a hold of this pandemic and come out the other side is through science – ultimately with a vaccine, but in the meantime through testing. There are tests that determine if someone who is sick has COVID-19 by taking nasal swabs, but also important is something called antibody or serological tests. And one of the places that’s doing that is Stanford University. Joining us now is Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, professor of medicine at Stanford University, who is part of this study:

Listen to 5 minute podcast and read full interview at Source: >How Antibody Tests Can Inform Public Policies To Mitigate Coronavirus Pandemic : NPR