Covid-19 Contact Tracing Course

Learning Objectives from the Course

Measuring and Maximizing Impact of COVID-19 Contact Tracing, by Johns Hopkins University

• Identify and calculate metrics and indicators that can be used to measure the impact of contact tracing programs
• Use an interactive decision support tool to quantify the potential impact of testing and contact tracing strategies on reducing transmission.
• Strategize about how to improve the impact of contact tracing programs
• Understand underlying assumptions used by the tool to estimate the impact of contact tracing programs

My Perspetive on this Course

I took the opportunity to take the “Measuring and Maximizing Impact of COVID-19 Contact Tracing”, by Johns Hopkins University through Coursera. The course and certificate were free. This course was designed for managers in the medical field who are working with contract tracing. You do not have to be in the medical field to enroll or currently be working with contact tracing for Covid-19. I took this course to better understand Covid-19 and similar diseases in a pandemic. Previously, I took a basic course on Coursera by John Hopkins. That course covered the basics and was easier to comprehend the technical information and jargon.

It was not an easy course, there were technical challenges with operating the tools and formulas correctly. I recommend using the excel spreadsheet on a desktop computer, instead of using Mobile apps. Entering data on a desktop is easier to read than using a mobile app, limiting data entry errors. Instructors provided useful feedback on course materials and quizzes. The material was online using videos, interactive tools and reading for resources. Students provided input on what was working and what was not working with course materials. There were updates during the course, which ends August 9, 2020. You can request an extension.

Overall, I did learn different techniques and strategy on how to minimize the spread of Covid-19. Hopefully, this pandemic will be better controlled in the United States and throughout the world. I know my life has been impacted. Adjustments to my lifestyle and plans are drastically altered for now. I reside in the Seattle area. I did lose a relative and another was ill for a few weeks. Plus, a friend was down for at least a month with this virus. I take this pandemic seriously and have since January.

wishing everyone good health and fortune