Texas State students, faculty or staff who test positive for COVID-19 or are identified as close contacts are requested to report to a new contact tracing system, the university announced in an Aug. 12 email.
The contact tracing system, Bobcat Trace, will provide the university another resource to keep track of COVID-19 as people return to campus.
Chief Medical Officer Emilio Carranco provided a list of recommended methods to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19 on Texas State’s campuses, including encouraging self-quarantine, daily self-assessments for fever and COVID-19 symptoms and requesting the use of Bobcat Trace.
The Bobcat Trace web application requires written consent from users before sharing information. The consent page indicates that participation in the project:
- is limited to current students, faculty and staff of the university.
- information provided to the project may be disclosed to local, state or federal public health officials.
- participation in this project does not create a physician-patient relationship with any healthcare provider.
When identifying close contacts in the tracing program, the website states they may be contacted by telephone, email, secure file share or text and informed that they were identified as a close contact and of the need to isolate or quarantine, however personal identifying information will not be shared with the contact.
“Contact tracing is extremely critical. Close contacts of an infected individual must quarantine and be tested for COVID-19. Identifying close contacts as soon as possible can prevent them from infecting others,” Carranco said.
