Implementation of a Case Investigation and Contact Tracing Program at an Academic Medical Center in New York City

In the spring of 2020, New York City was an epicenter of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and mortality. One of the hardest hit areas in New York City was central Brooklyn, where State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate is located. As the severity of the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic waned in New York City, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University planned to institute COVID-19 surveillance on campus to limit its spread among employees and students.

In collaboration with university leadership and students across schools, the SUNY Downstate Contact Tracing Corps was established in July 2020. Using guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York State Department of Health, protocols for case and contact investigations, including scripts, were developed. Students were recruited and trained in remote and confidential case and contact investigations.

From August 1, 2020, to March 23, 2021, there were 185 COVID-19 cases referred to the contact tracing program; of these, 180 were successfully investigated and isolated (97%). Case investigations identified 111 Downstate close contacts; 105 were investigated and quarantined (94.5%). There were 122 exposure-only investigations referred to the program, and 121 were successfully investigated and quarantined (99%).

The SUNY Downstate Contact Tracing Corps transitioned to a core group of tracers in January 2021 and has been maintained at 4 to 6 tracers since that time. With the emergence of COVID-19 variants, the threat of new variants, and variable COVID-19 vaccination rates across Brooklyn, Downstate employees and students remain vulnerable to COVID-19 transmission. Given this, the SUNY Downstate Contact Tracing Corps will continue to conduct case and contact investigations.