OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — An automated text message survey system tailored for people exposed to positive cases of COVID-19 is helping Ottawa County slow the the spread of the virus, health officials say.
"It allows us to react a lot sooner because we get this information daily," said Matthew Allen, environmental health supervisor at the Ottawa Department of Public Health.
The county reported its first positive case of the novel coronavirus on March 15. This occurred before Gov. Whitmer's stay-at-home order, so nurses had to call even more people that were in close contact with the patient, said Spencer Ballard, another environmental health supervisor with the department.
"It really highlighted the fact: How are we going to contact like 60 people per day just based on one case?" Ballard said. "The phone call can take 10-15 minutes, assuming you get through the first time. It's incredibly taxing."
Ottawa County later linked its own case management system with an SMS survey program through Qualtrics, a Utah-based experience management company. After an initial phone call, the automated contact tracing system allows potential coronavirus patients to share their health status through text.
The survey asks people about their symptoms and places participants in different queues that alert nurses to follow up with calls.
"Out of the [approximately] 400 surveys we send out there might be 25 that require follow up, and it allows us to focus on those that may be high-risk," Allen said. "Invariably, some of those contact become cases. It allows us to follow that whole life cycle through."
Respondents are also asked if they are isolating. If they've broken the quarantine, they can explain why.
"If the reason is like, 'I live alone and have no food,' we can put them in touch with community resources to help keep them at home," Ballard said.
The health department sent over 6,000 surveys since it began using the software for COVID-19. The process saves staff members an average of 70 hours each day, Ballard said.
Health officials in Kent County are asking for volunteers to assist the state in contract tracing by phone or over the computer. The automated system gives Ottawa a technology advantage, Allen said.
"Some places that just rely on people, you might not be able to contact people every day," he said. "With this, we're able to step in right at the start of the process and either isolate or refer them for testing depending on their symptoms."
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