COVID

Nearly $160 million later, the state’s COVID-19 contact tracing program is ending

By The Boston Globe

1 minute to read

The Massachusetts program that tracks down people who were exposed to COVID-19, one of the most ambitious state initiatives in the country, is wrapping up as health leaders shift priorities and precious dollars to vaccinating and testing residents amid another surge of new cases and rising hospitalizations.

With no more state-funded workers to help track new infections, local health departments, already stretched thin, have been advised by the state to only contact and investigate COVID cases found in group settings, where infections are more likely to spread rapidly, such as health care facilities, homeless shelters, nursing homes, day care centers, and schools.

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The directive has prompted sighs of relief from some weary local health directors but also concern about how to convey to their residents that COVID is spreading rapidly with the Omicron variant and should still be taken seriously.

Read the full story on BostonGlobe.com.

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