Testing, Contact Tracing Touted as Tool to Stop COVID-19 Spread

Massachusetts is collaborating with Partners in Health to create the COVID-19 Community Tracing Collaborative, the first of its kind in the nation.

Gov. Charlie Baker stressed Friday that testing will be an "enormously powerful tool for public health officials" in containing the spread of the novel coronavirus. The new tracing collaborative is one of several assets being used to prepare for an expected surge in cases that could top 170,000 before the end of April.

As of Thursday, more than 56,000 tests had been done with 20 labs up and running. The goal of 3,500 tests a day is now being exceeded regularly with almost 5,000 done Thursday.

Led by the administration's COVID-19 Response Command Center, Partners In Health will coordinate closely with the Department of Public Health and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Contact tracing will be combined with the state's efforts to increase testing and will provide support to people in quarantine in order to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Read more now at iBerkshires.com now.