In her address on September 22nd 2021, Director of Drug Abuse Prevention Unit and Member of the Contact Tracing Team, Ms. Martha Jarvis, sought to clarify what is meant by contact tracing. She elucidated, “Very simply put, contact tracing involves tracking where a positive patient has been and who they came in contact with within the previous ten days. The contact tracer will then reach out to the recent contacts and advise them where and when they should get tested.”
She explained that the contact tracer usually engages the client in a number of questions for the duration of five minutes. Nonetheless, she expressed, “There are those however, who would require a more extensive conversation and a second or possibly third call. That is those who will need to be transported to a quarantine facility.”
According to her, the purpose of the subsequent calls is to allow the taxi dispatch team to arrange transportation to the Covid-19 care complex in Portsmouth. The team is dispatched based on the location for transfer as well as mobility access. Jarvis advised that once tested positive, an individual is to be transported home where they will await a call for further transportation.
Additionally, she stated that to curb the spread of the virus the government has utilized five main pillars which include testing, isolation, contact tracing, quarantine and vaccination. The authorities have established a standardized intake form that covers demographics, symptoms, exposure, contacts and the instructions given by the health team. With this information, they can determine the hot spots of Covid-19 on island, how transportation is arranged for quarantine and testing, where the clients are placed in quarantine and to gather statistical information.
It is noteworthy that Jarvis highlights that the Contact Tracing Team has faced numerous challenges, such as false contact information, failure to identify contact persons as well as personal decisions to self-isolate for a prolonged period without the advice of the authorities. Despite this, she has noted their progress and the need for contact tracing to continue extensively.
Moreover, Jarvis took the opportunity to thank the public for their vast response to the contact tracing team. She firmly believes that with the public’s response, as well as the efforts of the Drug Abuse Prevention Unit, Health Promotion, Dental Health Care Unit, Primary Health Care Unit, the Taxi dispatch team and the Dominica Fire and Ambulance Services, there is hope that the Contact Tracing Unit may achieve its goal of minimal exposure to the virus.
