The No. 10 District Health Department announced Tuesday that it is ending universal contact tracing at the individual level.
They say it comes after the MDHHS announced it would halt the process.
According to DHD #10, it is now up to every Michigander who tests positive for COVID-19 to notify all potential close contacts.
“The efforts of our staff to conduct contact tracing over the past two years have been tremendous,” said Kevin Hughes, Chief Health Officer for DHD#10. “Now is the time to give residents of our communities the means to assume this role and to inform anyone with whom they may have had close contact while they were contagious.
DHD #10 states that they will now focus on targeted identification, response and mitigation of COVID-19 clusters and outbreaks, particularly for vulnerable and associated populations in congregated settings such as healthcare facilities. long-term care, group homes, schools, shelters and dormitories.
Officials say this shift in focus of public health resources to outbreak locations and clusters “will maximize public health outcomes in an environment of strained and limited staffing capacity.”
However, DHD#10 will continue to send secure text notifications via TigerConnect to those who test positive for the virus within their ten-county jurisdiction so individuals can begin tracing close contacts.
Those who test positive will receive the following secure SMS:
“This is District #10 Health Department. We are tracking your recent COVID-19 test. If you are POSITIVE for COVID-19, regardless of your vaccination status, stay home for 5 days. If you have no symptoms or your symptoms resolve and you no longer have a fever after 5 days, you can leave your home Continue to wear a strict mask around others for another 5 days.
The text message will also provide instructions for completing an online survey to help case investigators find out where someone may have contracted the coronavirus.
“We fully understand that phishing scams are a reality and some people may not feel comfortable responding to a text message,” said Jeannine Taylor, DHD #10 Public Information Officer, “If you feel uncomfortable, please email us at covid@dhd10.org or call us at (231) 305-8675 to help us confirm the authenticity of this message.
If you need a COVID-19 test, DHD#10 is hosting testing clinics at various locations in their jurisdiction. To find a test site, Click here.
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