Contact tracer reveals her tools of the trade
Epidemiologist Rebecca Hundy has provided listeners with a rare insight into the contact tracing process.
Contact tracers are at the front line of the country’s war against COVID-19.
Ms Hundy told Jim Wilson the teams are diverse, with a wide range of health and communication backgrounds.
“We also have public health nurses; we’ve actually brought in some medical students to train them up.”
Ms Hundy has heard a whole range of reactions from the positive COVID-19 cases she interviews, from those who get upset to those who “take it in their stride”.
“One of the most challenging aspects”, she revealed, is a person’s limited ability to remember where they went in a fortnight.
Where memory fails, tracers rely on phone logs, emails and bank transaction records.
“We’ve got some tips and tricks that we use. It can be a very slow process.”
Click PLAY below to hear the full interview
Image: Getty