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In June, the 30-year-old resident of the outskirts of the borough joined the front ranks of the Test & Trace Corps of NYC Health + Hospitals on a mission to help stop the spread of COVID- 19 by identifying those who could have been exposed to the novel. virus. A worker in various service and healthcare jobs before the pandemic, the contact tracer – who asked to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions on work – told the Post that she feared the second wave of the pandemic has not completely arrived in New York, and many more will soon become infected.
I have been a contact tracer since day one. I have spoken to hundreds, if not thousands of people. If your test is positive, the first person you talk to is usually an interviewer. After that you talk to me – or I call you if someone who has tested positive lists you as a close contact.
During the summer there were times when things were slow, days when I didn’t have calls. Not anymore.
Things have really changed with the opening of schools. Then we started talking to a lot of parents and teachers. Every now and then I would speak to a health worker or a member of the Orthodox Jewish community. At some point in early to mid-November it started to straighten out and become more random. When people are irresponsible it makes my job more difficult. After Thanksgiving weekend there was a huge spike in cases – I was really busy. Now, the people I talk to come from all over the place. Some say they barely got out.
“When people are irresponsible, it makes my job more difficult.
I hate to tell people that I’m busy at work. This is not good information. And the superiors of Test & Trace say it will only get busier.
Our supervisors told us that even though the number of calls we are personally starting to receive is increasing slightly, it indicates an increase in COVID levels. Ever since I learned this little thing, I’ve been paying attention, and now that it’s really increased, I’m alarmed. It wasn’t like that. This is enough for me to know that the second wave of COVID is here.
Everyone was hired for a year; our contracts end in June 2021. But I was recently told that they think it will last longer.
With this job, it’s my job, but it’s also my life, because I’m New Yorker. They insisted on only hiring New Yorkers. They wanted people on the phone lines who really care about the people they talk to and who stop the spread.
Most people I call know this – they’re not surprised they have COVID. But since the fall, I have started to surprise more people with the news. Some calls, people really don’t want to take it, but at the end of the day we joke, laugh. All I can do is listen. It is by no means a perfect system, but we really do our best. New York State is strapped for resources and there is misinformation all over the place, so it’s understandable that people think I’m just going to bother them and not help them, but I know we’re making a difference.
“I hate telling people I’m busy at work. This is not good information.
I talk to people who don’t realize it’s gotten so bad. They’ve adjusted to a new life and they don’t want to make any more adjustments because they think they’ve done a really good job. They look at the statistics, but they have adjusted their feeling of fear.
It’s not like it’s for a few months: we had a low number; New York had fun. We’re not here anymore – so don’t treat him like that. You have to have a very high level of trust with someone if you want to be in an enclosed space with them right now.
I took my own advice – I went out and socialized a bit during the summer. Now, I don’t do either of those things – and I would love to, but it’s not worth it for me. There’s no one I’m close enough to at this point where it would be worth it for me to take a risk just for physical pleasure.
I don’t know anything about the public, but I’m exposed to it all day. For me, looking at COVID statistics is like learning the weather. We contact tracers don’t have any secret knowledge, it’s more that we can’t look away from what we see, so there isn’t really much room for wishful thinking. It will only get worse.
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