Report: Test-and-trace just one of many triggers for economy
Photo | Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
COVID-19
Efforts to limit COVID-19 in Massachusetts through a "test and trace" approach could require the state to boost its testing capacity from the current range 5,000 to 8,000 tests per day to 10,5000 to 17,000 tests daily, according to a new report.
The Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University concluded that a system of testing, isolation and "aggressive" contact-tracing appears to be the "most promising" approach to limiting the spread of the highly contagious disease, based on experiences of countries that have had some success in doing so.
Testing would need to be more reliable, with quick results and "widespread availability, including at businesses, drive-through centers, and pop-ups," the center said.
The report raised the possibility of data collection via cellphone apps to speed up and automate parts of the contact-tracing process, but noted that the use of phone data "raises serious concerns about privacy and government power, which means that any such approach would benefit from careful selection of tools and rules that are genuinely effective, time-limited, minimally disruptive to existing norms, and broadly acceptable to the public."
The report also outlined a series of triggers to help determine when Massachusetts could be ready to reopen its economy.
They include sustained COVID-19 case reductions for at least 14 days, adequate testing capacity, sufficient supplies of hospital equipment and ICU beds, a sufficient public health workforce, "substantial operational changes" to limit transmission at business, schools, airports and other high-traffic sites, equal preparation in neighboring states, and "clear conditions for when to return to a limited or large-scale shutdown" if cases rise again or hospitals become overrun.
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