Early lessons for effective and equitable contact tracing

As states and counties grapple with containing the spread of COVID-19, they are learning that the virus places novel demands on contact-tracing efforts. Early experiences from states with contact-tracing programs suggest that a successful program needs to account for the economic circumstances of people infected, as well as their families; it needs to account for the emotional and psychological ramifications of learning you and your loved ones are at risk of infection; and it needs to account for contextual and community factors, such as language and culture, that could be barriers to reaching the very populations most at-risk of contracting the disease. (author introduction)