Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

California Ramps Up COVID-19 Contact Tracer Training For Government Workers – But Citizens Want To Help, Too

  •  Bob Moffitt 
Sunday, May 17, 2020 | Sacramento, CA
Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

Nurses at Cal Expo test a patient for COVID-19 on Wednesday, April 15, 2020.

Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

Cindy Moore has been spending a lot of time on her iPad lately, keeping up on the latest COVID-19 news and looking for ways to help. The 67-year-old retired geologist, who lives in Sacramento, would love to be a contact tracer, one of thousands the state of California is training to track how people acquired the coronavirus. 

“It would give me a chance to help in this situation in a place that’s really needed,” she said.

As COVID-19 continues to spread in communities, many people have looked for ways to help. One is contact-tracing: California and other states need more people to investigate and trace how people acquire the virus and who they come in contact with, so as to stop its spread and stave-off outbreaks.

Besides providing a needed service, contact-tracing might also be a good way to take up the 10-15 hours-a-week of free time that Moore has on her hands. She’s also hoping to supplement her income; her gig helping senior citizens with computer problems has dried up, as they are following social-distancing orders. It seems like the perfect time to try something new.

“I have an analytical kind of mind and I get along well with people,” she said. “So, I think it would be a good position.”

There is demand for contact tracers. A month ago, the National Association of City and County Health Officials estimated a need of 100,000 in the United States California Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state would need 20,000. 

Each state has promised to hire a certain number of tracers, but they will also use existing employees. 

There are already job postings: A Google search turned up openings in the last week in Redding, Santa Rosa, Atwater, Ventura, all over northern Nevada and several other states. Some are county positions, others are through temp agencies.

Moore says she is reviewing them to see what would work. She would rather help a local entity.  

“I know the geography and the streets. I can say, ‘Did you go to X place?’” she said.

It’s possible that Moore won’t be able to work as a tracer for Sacramento County Department of Public Health, which says it might take unpaid volunteers in the future who sign up through the Medical Reserve Corps website.

Yolo and Placer also might take volunteers in the future. Spokespersons with El Dorado, Yuba and Sutter counties say they are fine for now. San Francisco has been training librarians and some people who are retired from the medical field.  

Before individuals can begin tracing cases, they must go through 10-to-12 hours of online training. It starts with epidemiology, the study of diseases, and what scientists know about COVID-19. Then, how to interview people and what questions to ask.

“There is a script with very specific questions, so the individuals who are doing the interviewing have those questions in front of them, ” said Alice Gandelman, director of the UCSF California Prevention Training Center. “Then, we have a variety of skills-based sessions.”

UCSF and UCLA trained 560 people during a trial run the week of May 11. The first full session begins May 18, and UCSF’s Gandelman says she expects to certify up to 3,000 people. 

State agencies will likely rely almost exclusively on the training provided by UCSF and UCLA. But there is training available from other sources. 

Moore has already completed the first couple of phases provided by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. It’s the same training Placer County workers received. 

“It’s definitely good to find out there are possibilities for this,” Moore said, adding the kind of work suits her “to a T.”


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    More about Coronavirus

  • NIAID-RML via AP

    Coronavirus In California: Latest Updates And Resources

    The coronavirus has impacted nearly every aspect of life in California and around the world. Here are resources and all our coverage at CapRadio and NPR.

 Coronavirus

Bob Moffitt

Former Sacramento Region Reporter

Bob reported on all things northern California and Nevada. His coverage of police technology, local athletes, and the environment has won a regional Associated Press and several Edward R. Murrow awards.  Read Full Bio 

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More Stories

Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

California debates opening supervised sites for people to use drugs

May 23, 2022

Dario Lopez-Mills / AP

A gunman killed at least 18 children and 2 adults at a Texas elementary school

May 24, 2022

Photo by Scott Eckersley / Unsplash

Interview: Chefs preview Sacramento Bacon Fest this weekend

May 20, 2022

Most Viewed

Suspected monkeypox case reported in Sacramento County

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

Some living in 209 area code will need to switch to 350

A Sacramento County nonprofit is offering to pay $3,000 worth of bills if you test positive for COVID-19 at their clinic

A married couple turns an out-of-commission helicopter into a camper

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

Suspected monkeypox case reported in Sacramento County

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

Some living in 209 area code will need to switch to 350

A Sacramento County nonprofit is offering to pay $3,000 worth of bills if you test positive for COVID-19 at their clinic

A married couple turns an out-of-commission helicopter into a camper

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.