COVID-19 contact tracing efforts are falling short in Washington state, new report says

When Gov. Jay Inslee announced in April that the state was training more than 1,000 people to do case- and contact-tracing investigations, it was hailed as a key component to slowing the spread of the new coronavirus.

Now, nearly five months since that plan was revealed, a report released Wednesday by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) shows the state has yet to meet its goals for the program.

The report, which will be updated weekly, shows DOH case and contact investigators have reached within 24 hours 49% of people who have tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. Within 48 hours, they’ve reached 70% of people who have been in close contact with an infected person.

DOH’s goals are to reach 90% of diagnosed people within one day and 80% of contacts within two days.