Contact tracers identified

How western New York was able to identify 521 tracers in 24 hours.

COMING UP WITHCONTACTTRACERS...KIND OFLIKE MEDICINVESTIGATORS.... HASBEEN A KEY TOREOPENING SINCEDAY ONE.MOVING INTO MONDAY-- WESTERN NEWYORK FELL SHORT ONTHE NUMBER OFTRACERS NEEDED TOREOPEN.BUT AFTER SOMEQUICK WORK --- THEFIVE COUNTIES WEREABLE TO MEET THATREQUIREMENT...RECRUITING AN ARMYOF FIVE HUNDRED ANDTWENTY FIVETRACERS.7 EYEWITNESS NEWSREPORTER ALITOUHEY TAKES ACLOSER LOOK AT HOWWE GOT TO THATNUMBER.SOT OPEN GOV :05THEY NEED 521TRACERS.

THEY'VEIDENTIFIED 525.IT'S AN ABOUT FACEFROM JUST 24 HOURSAGO.SOT GOV :02WE'D NEED ANADDITIONAL 352.352 CONTACTTRACERS IDENTIFIEDLITERALLYOVERNIGHT.

HOW?ACCORDING TO ERIECOUNTY EXECUTIVEMARK POLONCARZONE REASON IS THESTATE DIDN'T TAKEINTO ACCOUNTUNTRAINED TRACERS.POLONCARZ :06THEY WERE TALKINGABOUT THEINDIVIDUALS WHO HADACTUALLY GONETHROUGH TRAINING,AND NOT JUST THEINDIVIDUALS WHO HADBEEN IDENTIFIED.ALI STANDHERE'S ANOTHERREASON WHYTHENUMBER OF REQUIREDTRACERS PER COUNTYIS ACTUALLY BASED ONTWO FACTORS.30TRACERS PER 100KRESIDENTS, OR APERCENTAGE OF THEINFECTION RATE.

ANDTHE HIGH INFECTIONRATE WASN'T BEINGCONSIDERED UNTILTHIS WEEKEND..SOT :14THE 30 PER 100K IS THEBASE.

IT'S NOT THELIMIT.

SO, WE HAD TOID MORE TO THE POINTWHERE I SAID TO MYSTAFF IF WE HAVE TO,I'M GOING TO SIGN UPAND BECOME ACONTACT TRACER.ACCORDING TOLIEUTENANTGOVERNOR KATHYHOCHUL EMPLOYEESFROM OTHER COUNTYDEPARTMENTS WEREIDENTIFIED ASTRACERS IN A MATTEROF HOURS..HOCHUL :12.IDENTIFYING THETRACERS IS ENTIRELYUP TO COUNTYLEADERS.

SO WHYWASN'T SOME OF THISHANDLED SOONER?NIAGARA COUNTYLEGISLATIVE CHAIRREBECCA WYDYSHSAYS IN HER CASEITWAS.I HAD ALREADY BEEN INDISCUSSIONS WITHE SHERIFF A WEEKOR TWO BACK AND ITJUST A MATTER OFNAILING DOWN THELIST OF WHO WASGOING TO TAKE THATTRAINING.WYDYSH DOESN'TANTICIPATE HIRINGMORE TRACERS.

SHETELLS ME NIAGARACOUNTY HAS MORETHAN ENOUGH TOINVESTIGATE EACHPOSITIVE CASE.IN BUFFALO, ALITOUHEY, 7EWN.