Oneida County announces no more contact tracing, too many COVID-19 cases to keep up

The Oneida County Health Department says it will no longer provide contact tracing for those who test positive for COVID-19.

CNY Central quotes County Executive Anthony Picente as saying “The surging omicron variant has led to a staggering number of daily positive COVID-19 infections,” said Picente. “There is no way that local health departments can keep up with the overwhelming volume, so beginning today, we will no longer contact trace cases. Isolation and quarantining must now be self-maintained. Positive infections will continue to be notified, and we will still provide case investigation in some instances.”

He says county residents will still be notified when they test positive, but recent close contacts will not. The county says residents who test positive should abide by the recent CDC guidelines, isolating for five days.

Read more about the county’s decision here.

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