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Tracking coronavirus cases proves difficult amid new surge

Tracking coronavirus cases proves difficult amid new surge
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Health departments around the U.S. that are using contact tracers to contain coronavirus outbreaks are scrambling to bolster their ranks amid a surge of cases and resistance to cooperation from those infected or exposed.

With too few trained contact tracers to handle soaring caseloads, one hard-hit Arizona county is relying on National Guard members to pitch in.

In Louisiana, people who have tested positive typically wait more than two days to respond to health officials — giving the disease crucial time to spread.

Contact tracing tracks people who test positive and anyone they’ve come in contact with. It was challenging even when stay-at-home orders were in place, but it’s exponentially more difficult now.

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Johns Hopkins global coronavirus tracker