KPBS Midday Edition

Contact Tracing: How Does It Work?

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Marissa Cabrera / News Producer, KPBS Midday Edition

Published April 23, 2020 at 8:10 AM PDT

This story was published more than 5 years ago.

An undated artist rendering of the coronavirus.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a plan this week to train 10,000 contact tracers. The state is also exploring the use of digital apps to backtrack the movement of sick people and find out who they may have been in contact with.

The process of lifting stay-at-home orders in California depends in large part on the state’s ability to test for COVID-19 and identify those who may have been exposed to the virus. That work is done through a process known as contact tracing.

On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a plan to train 10,000 people to be contact tracers. The state is also exploring the use of digital apps to backtrack the movement of sick people and find out who they may have been in contact with in order to slow the spread of the virus.

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Andrea LaCroix, professor of epidemiology at UC San Diego, joined Midday Edition on Thursday to discuss how contract tracing works and why its crucial in the fight against the coronavirus.

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KPBS Midday Edition COVID-19

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Marissa Cabrera

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Marissa Cabrera worked as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and had previously served as a Newscast Producer for KPBS' Morning Edition. Before joining KPBS she reported on Vatican affairs, social, and cultural issues in Rome, Italy. She also contributed to a documentary on sex abuse in the Catholic Church. Marissa has worked as a multimedia journalist at various news stations in San Diego and Monterey as well as Columbia, Missouri. Marissa graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.

See stories by Marissa Cabrera