Province to hire 500 new staff to help with COVID-19 contact tracing

Aug 12, 2020 | 2:21 PM

VICTORIA — Premier John Horgan says the province will hire up to 500 new contact tracers to help keep British Columbians safe from COVID-19.

“Some of these positions will help support public health in communities as well as, of course, preparing for the fall immunization plan, which we’ll be announcing later this month,” Horgan said in a news conference Wednesday (Aug. 12).

Contact tracing allows health officials to track the movement and personal contacts of those who have tested positive for the virus in order to determine who else may have been exposed.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said contact tracing efforts are the “bread and butter” of public health workers and have already identified thousands of possible exposures since the pandemic arrived in B.C.

Henry notes many of the new hires will be retired health professionals.

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“This allows us now to get more people trained up to do this really important work as we continue through the progression of our pandemic here in B.C. and make sure we’re prepared if there is a surge of cases in the coming months,” Henry said.

She says hiring hundreds of new people will help ensure contact tracing efforts are quicker and more complete.

Horgan says the new contact tracing positions will be temporary and recruited through the province’s health authorities.

Meantime, Horgan addressed the concerning trend of COVID-19 cases increasing among those in their twenties.

He called on a couple of B.C.-born celebrities to help get through to millennials who have been disregarding public health directives.

“This is a call out to Deadpool right now: Ryan (Reynolds), we need your help up here. Get in touch with us. My number’s on the internet,” said Horgan. “Seth Rogen, another outstanding British Columbian, we need to communicate with people who aren’t hearing us. The two of you alone could help us in that regard.”

by James Peters

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Province to hire 500 new staff to help with COVID-19 contact tracing

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