Clark County health agency speeds alerts of positive COVID-19 tests
The Southern Nevada Health District has implemented an automated system aimed at more quickly and efficiently communicating with people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and their close contacts.
The automated email and texting system provides people who have tested positive with information on isolating themselves from others to avoid the spread of the disease. The system also is designed to help the district more quickly identify close contacts of people who have tested positive. It is then used to notify these close contacts so that they can self-quarantine and be on the lookout for symptoms.
“Quick identification of contacts who have been exposed is an important step in interrupting the transmission of COVID-19 to others,” the district said in a news release. Increased automation has been necessary to deal with workload increases created by the pandemic, staff members have said.
Notification from the health district will come via email or text message. The email address used for notifications is do-not-reply@snhd.org. Text messages will come from (702) 718-7075.
In most cases, people who have tested positive already should have been notified by their healthcare provider of their status before they are contacted by the automated system. To ensure confidentiality, patients will be asked to verify their identity on the health district’s secure portal before information on test results is provided.
More information and COVID-19 resources are available at SouthernNevadaHealthDistrict.org/coronavirus. The public can also access the Health District’s Information Line at (702) 759-INFO (4636) seven days a week from 7 a.m. —7 p.m.
Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on Twitter.