February 2, 2022
Maine CDC continues to recommend contact tracing for certain higher-risk congregate residential settings, including long-term care facilities
Due to the rapid transmission of the COVID-19 Omicron variant and consistent with a recommendation from public health experts, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) announced today that it will suspend contact tracing effective February 8, 2022.
While the goal of contact tracing is to provide a timely notification to all individuals who may have been exposed to COVID-19, conducting contact tracing for the general public provides less epidemiological value than it did during earlier phases of the pandemic. The Maine CDC has determined that, because the Omicron variant is far more contagious than prior variants, has a shorter incubation period, and spreads in the early part of an infection, it is contributing to higher levels of community transmission, making community exposures more frequent and, consequently, reducing the utility of contact tracing.
This move aligns with a recent recommendation by The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, National Association of County and City Health Officials, Big Cities Health Coalition, and Association of Public Health Laboratories. The recommendation states:
“Although universal case investigation and contact tracing was implemented in spring 2020 to slow COVID-19 transmission, much has changed over the past year prompting the need for a revised public health approach. This includes the wide availability of safe and effective vaccines, better understanding of the epidemiology of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and the emergence of the more infectious Omicron variant.”
Consistent with this same recommendation, however, the Maine CDC also continues to recommend that contract tracing be conducted in certain higher-risk congregate residential settings, such as health and long-term care facilities or correctional facilities, where it can be done in a timely way. Additionally, contact tracing may resume if warranted based on epidemiological changes in the virus.
This change does not impact the U.S. CDC’s recommendations about isolation and quarantine. Read more about these recommendations.
Vaccination remains the most effective way to protect your health from COVID-19 and has been proven effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. Information on where to get a vaccine is on the Maine COVID-19 website or by calling the Maine COVID-19 Community Vaccination Line at 1-888-445-4111.