Answering the call

Nurse talking on the phone — a nurse at the University Employee Occupational Health Clinic

The unfamiliar number on your caller ID may not be a call about your car’s extended warranty. It could be from a contact tracer, and ignoring the call may be extending the pandemic.

Case investigation and contact tracing are public health measures used to prevent the spread of a virus or other disease, said Cathy Brennan, executive director of Environment, Health and Safety. It’s a measure that’s been used in other epidemics in the past.

“Even though there are lots of COVID-19 cases in the United States, can you imagine how many there’d be if we didn’t do case investigation, contact tracing, quarantine and isolation? Many more people would be exposed and test positive,” Brennan said.

Health care professionals at the University Employee Occupational Health Clinic have been conducting contact tracing calls since March 2020, when the pandemic began, Brennan said. “They are clinical staff, such as physician assistants and nurses, who are experienced at case investigation and contact tracing and are dedicated to public health at Carolina,” Brennan said.

If you do receive a call, be polite and helpful in sharing information, Brennan urged. “Be nice when you speak to them,” Brennan said. “They’re trying to help you. And they’re trying to help the Carolina community by controlling the spread of the virus.”

Close contact or positive test

A contact tracer may be calling for one of two reasons, Brennan says. If someone reports they’ve tested positive, a case investigation call is made — as required by the University’s COVID-19 Community Standards — to determine all of the people someone may have had close contact with during a specific period of time.

The other type of call is for someone who has been identified as being in close contact with someone who tested positive.

A close contact is someone who has been within 6 feet of a known positive for more than 15 minutes cumulative time, regardless of whether a face mask was worn by either party, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If someone receives a call after having been identified as a close contact, the name of the person who tested positive won’t be shared, Brennan said. What will be provided is the date the exposure occurred and specific guidance about testing and quarantine for people based on vaccination status.

In this 10-minute call, the tracer will ask about vaccination status and whether the person is currently experiencing symptoms. They will also share information about symptoms to watch for and make a recommendation for testing depending on exposure date, along with responding to any questions.

Who’s calling, please?

Whether you’re a student or an employee and where the close contact took place will determine who makes the case investigation and close contact calls.

For students, Campus Health places the calls.

For employees, if the close contact took place in a work setting, a physician assistant or nurse from the UniversityEmployee Occupational Health Clinic will call. If the close contact took place outside of a work setting, the local health department in the county where they reside will make the call.

While gray areas exit, Brennan shared a few examples: If a group of employees went out for lunch to a restaurant and someone in the group tested positive, UEOHC would contact employees identified as close contacts. However, if an employee is out with friends that are not work colleagues, the employee would be contacted by their local health department.

Brennan encouraged employees to respond to contact tracing calls, including voicemails, which may come from a cell phone rather than a work phone because contact tracers may be working after hours or on weekends. If someone is concerned about returning a call or a voicemail from an unfamiliar number, Brennan suggested returning the call to the clinic or health department’s main telephone number during regular business hours. The main number for UEOHC is 919-966-9119.