For conventional contact tracing to be effective, test results need to be delivered within a day of a person developing symptoms, according to a new study.
Contact Tracing Useless Unless It's Speedy: Study
THURSDAY, July 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- It's the Holy Grail for containing the spread of coronavirus, but contact tracing only works if it is done quickly, researchers report.
The modeling study showed that even if all contacts are successfully traced, a delay of three days or more between the start of symptoms and testing will not reduce transmission of the virus sufficiently to control further spread.
The news couldn't come at a worse time, as surging coronavirus cases are swamping labs across the country and triggering delays in test results.