Today, some people receiving short-term senior care in Georgia and other states sometimes wonder about two tools used to combat infectious diseases: visitor restrictions and contact tracing. In some respects, these strategies seem almost the opposite of one another. Yet both strategies help protect patients and their loved ones against infectious disease.
Locking Down Health Care Facilities
The Georgia Department of Public Health issued detailed rules requiring health care facilities to limit visits at long term care facilities. Very few exceptions apply. Why do the guidelines restrict access to these locations right now?
The recent outbreak of Coronavirus has created a lot of public concern. This contagious illness apparently may pass from one person to another. Yet in some cases, a person infected with the virus may not experience many (if any) symptoms. By restricting in person visits, facilities enjoy a better opportunity to prevent visitors from unknowingly bringing the virus into health care settings. This precaution help curb the accidental spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Contact Tracing
Another tool used by health departments to prevent the spread of Coronavirus involves contact tracing. Someone who contracts the infection may pass it to other people before experiencing any symptoms. Contract tracing allows health departments to help minimize this type of disease transmission.
Public health nurses seek to identify all of the people who might have come into close contact with anyone who tests positive for the virus. They can then follow up with these individuals to ensure they obtain a medical evaluation. This tool enables people to voluntarily self-isolate themselves while waiting for test results. People exposed to the disease can make sure they do not accidentally spread the virus.
Recently, health officials in Catawba County, North Carolina explained the importance of contact tracing during the pandemic. Many health departments and care providers in other states also use this valuable tool. It offers a powerful weapon to quickly identify people who may have come into contact with Coronavirus. People exposed to the virus obtain testing and treatment more rapidly with the assistance of this tool, too!