Health Department contact tracing part of efforts to reduce spread of COVID-19

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — If you test positive for the coronavirus or COVID-19 you can expect a visit from a Whatcom County Health Department investigator.

Contact tracing is about identifying individuals who carry the coronavirus through testing and then finding people they’ve been in contact with to keep them from spreading the illness.

Investigators will ask a sick person about their contacts so those people can be notified, tested and isolated if necessary.

They also make sure the person has access to food and other needs while they’re in isolation.

The Whatcom County Health Department currently has 20 investigators and may soon be recruiting more volunteers.