OLYMPIA, Wash. — More than 60 members of the Washington National Guard are now contacting coronavirus patients and anyone they may have recently interacted with.
"This is a new type of mission," said Gov. Jay Inslee, who has assigned more than 700 guardsmen to be trained to help the state reach out to those who may have been exposed.
Wednesday morning, Inslee toured the Department of Health office space that the National Guard members are using as a call center.
According to a National Guard spokesperson, over the past week, guardsmen have contacted 340 people: either patients or those they were in contact with before their diagnosis.
Sgt. Jeran DeLapp said most of the people he has spoken with have been willing to share information with him.
He said some have been surprised by his call.
"There have been a handful of people who are hesitant, people are quizzical, asking questions, 'Why are you guys collecting this information?,'" said DeLapp, "But it's simple enough to reassure them that it's voluntary and they don't have to answer."
Washington State Department of Health officials say they’re rapidly training people to help with case investigations and contact tracing to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.
As of Tuesday, 723 National Guard personnel and 769 Department of Licensing personnel have been trained to help local health jurisdictions with contact tracing.
The personnel from the National Guard and Department of Licensing supplement about 630 local and state public health professionals who are already doing this work.
State officials say they’re also reviewing “thousands” of applications from volunteers across Washington and are readying a plan to screen and train volunteers if needed in the coming months.
The state’s goal is to be able to contact everyone with a positive COVID-19 test result within 24 hours to determine their close contacts and then contact all those close contacts within 48 hours.
“Case investigations and contact tracing are key pieces of the effort to keep Washington residents safe,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman. “Both have been critical tools to suppress the virus in other parts of the world.”
The public’s participation in contact tracing is voluntary, according to state officials.