When someone tests positive for COVID-19, public health workers need to reach them quickly to offer guidance and trace contacts. To help with this massive task, North Carolina launched a program using automated text and email messages to notify people of their diagnosis. This report describes that digital notification system, which was aimed at people diagnosed with COVID-19 in the state. We don't yet know from this report how well the system worked, how many people it reached, or if it made a difference in slowing the spread. It's simply an account of a tool being put into use, not a measure of its success.
Can automated texts help track COVID-19 cases? A North Carolina program tried.
Photo by Brian McGowan / Unsplash
What this means for you:
A report describes North Carolina's use of automated texts for COVID-19 notifications. More on COVID-19
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