Student contact tracers help fight virus

The University of Oregon and Lane County Public Health have teamed up to create Corona Corps.

The group of students serve as contact tracers to help slow the spread of Covid-19.

Oregon has joined forces with lane county public health to create a contact tracing task force to help slow the spread of covid-19.

Kezi 9 news reporter julian mininsohn spoke with those involved about how this could help flatten the curve in our area and beyond.

They call it the corona corps.

(jeff) "they're part of the county's approach and solution to try and box in the covid-19 pandemic.

Students are responsible for callng people who may have been exposed to the virus as well as provide resources for those in quarantine such as groceries and thermometers.

(noa) "if someone is showing symptoms we immediately find a way to arrange testing for them where they don't need insurance.

It's all free.

They can get there as soon as possible."

(julian) one student we spoke with says because there isn't a handbook on how to deal with a global pandemic, this model could help medical students get real-life experience on the way to a degree.

Right now there are 16 students working the program with 25 more set to join them in the next couple weeks.

The goal is to have 80 contact tracers by september.

(jason) "when you look back last weekend on saturday and sunday we only had ten cases within those two days.

A county with over 300,000 people nearly 400,000, we only had ten people.

That's is largely due the work the university of oregon, the corona corps, and certainly lane county public health is doing.

(julian) one student we spoke with says because there isn't a handbook on how to deal with a global pandemic, this model could help medical students get real-life experience on the way to a degree.

They've begun training students at central oreogn comunity college.

And given the success -- this could be a litmus test for other universities.

(jeff) "our hope is this a model that other universities can use but other counties can use us as a training force, if you will."

Students who participate also get paid and receive tuition-free credits.

Reporting in eugene, julian mininsohn, kezi 9 news.

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