The Complete & Utter Idiocy of NYS Contact Tracing

Like many people out there, I've had it with COVID-19. Mind you, I'm fully vaccinated and so is my husband. I know many people that have gotten COVID-19. One family member died of it two weeks ago. In total, I personally know 34 people that have had people die of COVID in their families. I personally know 11 people that died of COVID, including my cousin in August. I'm not a COVID naysayer.

But, enough is enough. I'm tired of the politicization of COVID. It really needs to stop. I'm not going to write anything political in this post. I'm just going to present you with the facts as they happened to me, and do my best to remove any emotion from it. As a matter of fact, this will be written in a third person perspective so that you can't infer any emotion at all.

Here we go...

On Friday, September 17th, a woman received a phone call from her children's school. The woman was told that her child was "exposed to another child that tested positive for COVID-19" and that her child would have to quarantine. Even though the quarantined child has a twin, only the child reported was told to quarantine. The twin could go to school like normal. The woman was told that she would be hearing from the NYS Department of Health. When the woman asked how her child was exposed, she wasn't allowed to find out for privacy reasons. The woman didn't argue with the people from the school because they were following the NYS protocols for COVID-19.

The woman spoke with her child, and asked when she wasn't wearing her mask in school. Her child stated that the only time they weren't wearing a mask was at lunch, when they were seated 6 feet from any other children in the cafeteria-- As per NYS mandates. Knowing who they shared a table with at lunch, they were able to figure out which of the classmates had COVID. The woman's child was listed because that is who the sick child named to the school as someone they were in contact with.

The only way that the Department of Health added the child to be contact traced is because their name was given as someone the sick child was in contact with. When the woman first spoke with the Department of Health, she asked how her child got placed on the list of potential exposed contacts, and the tracer said that they were given her name. The woman asked how they would verify the contact, and the tracer said that they were informed by the school because the sick child gave the list of potential exposure contacts. The woman explained how the children sat six feet apart at lunch, following social distancing guidelines, but the tracer was adamant that her child was exposed and had to stay home from school. The woman also had to answer a text message from the contact tracer every day to confirm that her child didn't have any symptoms.

The child was instructed to quarantine for ten (10) days. Since no virtual learning was offered, the child would have to be counted absent for all of the days of school missed. The absences would be excused, but still on the child's permanent record. If the child left the house for any reason, the parents would be held legally liable. The woman opted to stay home with the child for those ten days, canceling all other plans and not being reimbursed by the state since the COVID PUA had ended on September 6th. The child's twin brought their work home, which the mother did with them and ensured it was turned in on time.

A text message from the NYS Department of Health was sent every day. The message read, " Hello (initials / age)! This is your daily wellness check-in. Please answer the following quick questions about how you are feeling (or respond 'STOP' to discontinue messages): Have you had any symptoms today? 1: Yes; 2:No"

The woman would answer "No" each day, and the following text received read, "Thank you, (initials / age)! Everything sounds good today. You have (#) more days of monitoring remaining. If you'd like to speak to a case manager at any time, please message 'CONTACT' to this number."

No COVID tests were required, and the child was able to return to school on the eleventh day, after receiving a message that read, "(Initials / age), you have completed your quarantine after today. Should you develop any COVID-like symptoms going forward, please call your healthcare provider or the local health department in which you reside. If you have any further questions, please visit https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home. Thank you!"

There was no follow up to the health of the woman's child. The woman could have easily lied on the text messages, saying that her child didn't have symptoms when the child actually did. Nothing was verified, from the list of potential people exposed to the answering of text messages.

The woman wanted her child to have a COVID test, just in case. She brought her child to First Choice Medical in Holbrook, NY for a COVID test. The child was very upset, as they had never had a COVID test before. They were nervous and crying. The attendee (nurse?) came outside and asked the child their age. The child replied that they were 13. The attendee responded, "Oh, we can't test people here under the age of 15. But, if you'd like a COVID vaccination, you can go up front. The vaccination age starts at 12." The woman grew angry, confused as to how a doctor's office could give a vaccine for a virus they wouldn't test for. The woman got tested to show her child that there wasn't anything scare about it, then took the child to PM Pediatrics in Selden.

PM Pediatrics had no problem testing the child. The results came back the next day as negative. The test was volunteered to the NYS Health Department, but the woman was told, "We don't need that." The woman also let the school know about the negative test. They, too, said that a test wasn't needed (as per NYS mandate), but it was appreciated.

Only one other child was quarantined. The woman's child was quarantined because of the lunch table. Another child in class was quarantined because they "do not wear their mask correctly in class" and was told that they would be quarantined if another student ever tested positive for COVID. Neither of the two quarantined children contracted COVID-19.

Does the "honor system" really work? The contact tracer program relies on people telling the truth. How reliable are people in reporting their symptoms? Leaving quarantine doesn't require a negative COVID test. What about people that might contract COVID and are asymptomatic? Lives are upended because names are given out as being "potentially exposed." The woman had to take care of her child all day for 10 days, making sure no one else came into contact with them. The child missed school and had to take tests at home. What if a name is given to a contact tracer by mistake? Once you are on the list, you do not get off.

In conclusion... There has to be something better to test for COVID and to work quarantines. Quarantining someone for 10 days, whether an adult or a child, is very difficult. Vaccinated people still get COVID and can pass it on to others. There is no guarantee that anyone is protected from this virus. The public is upset because they aren't seeing any progress, nor any proof that getting vaccinated is going to help them return to "normal."

It isn't a matter of someone being held accountable for COVID at this point. Now it's a matter of "What systems can we put in place that actually work?" Only time will tell.