Health officials in Virginia say they'll likely have to scale back on contact tracing because coronavirus transmission levels are rising so high.
The Virginian-Pilot reported Tuesday that the Virginia Department of Health announced changes to its guidelines that prioritize contact tracing efforts to key segments of the population.
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.
The changes mean that contact tracers may not be able to reach all Virginians who were recently exposed to someone with COVID-19. And people who get infected may have to call the people with whom they were recently in contact.
Contact tracers interview people who have recently tested positive and determine who the infected people have recently come in contact with. They then provide advice to those people on how to avoid spreading the virus to others.
Coronavirus Cases in DC, Maryland and Virginia
COVID-19 cases by population in D.C. and by county in Maryland and Virginia
Source: DC, MD and VA Health Departments
Credit: Anisa Holmes / NBC Washington
Local health departments are now prioritizing their time to talk to the people most at risk. Those include people living in nursing homes and prisons as well as people who have compromised immune systems
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
There have been more than 226,000 confirmed cases in the state and 4,208 suspected deaths in the state.
