SAYS THE NUMBER OF LATIN-X CASES
ARE MORE THAN THREE AND A HALF
TIMES AS MANY AS THOSE IMPACTING
WHITE PEOPLE.
AMONG CHILDREN MORE THAN 72% OF
ALL CASES ARE IN THE LATIN-X
COMMUNITY.
DOCTORS SAY AS NUMBERS IN BLACK
AND BROWN COMMUNITIES CONTINUE
TO SKYROCKET SOMETHING NEEDS TO
BE DON
A NEW GRANT AWARDED TO UC DAVIS
HEALTH WILL HELP TRAIN MORE
PEOPLE TO BE CONTACT TRACERS
SPECIFICALLY FOR THE LATINX
COMMUNITY.
KCRA 3’S LETICIA ORDAZ TALKS
DOCTOR SERGIO AGUILAR-GAXIOLA
ABOUT HOW THIS NEW WORKFORCE
COULD HELP STOP THE SPREAD OF
COVID-19 AND SAVE LIVES.
LETICIA: WHAT WILL THIS MEAN FOR
OUR COMMUNITY DURING THESE
DIFFICULT TIMES?
>> CALIFORNIA, AS YOU KNOW, WE
HAVE THE LARGEST NUMBER OF CASES
.
IT IS DISPROPORTIONATELY
IMPACTING VULNERABLE
POPULATIONS.
I’M THINKING SPECIFICALLY -- I’M
TALKING ABOUT TINA’S AND ALSO
AFRICAN-AMERICANS.
THIS SHOULD GIVE US PAUSE ABOUT
THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION,
ESPECIALLY ON THE ESSENTIAL
WORKERS WHO ARE IN SO MAN
SECTORS FROM AGRICULTURE, TO
SERVICE, TO CONSTRUCTIO TO HELP
AS WELL AS OTHER SET IS THAT ARE
BEING PARTICULARLY HIT.
WHO ARE THESE CONTACT TRACERS
WHO YOU WILL HIRE?
ARE THESE REGULAR PEOPLE AND
WHAT WILL BE THEIR EXACT JOB
DUTY?
MANY OF US THINK IT IS BECAUSE
THEY EITHER DO NOT SPEAK THE
LANGUAGE OR THEY DO NOT KNOW THE
CULTURE.
SERVED BY THEIR SERVICES JUST
DON’T RELATE TO.
IN AND ALL OF THIS ABO
CONTROLLING THE SPREAD OF
COVID-19, TRUST PLAYS A KEY
ROLE.
THOSE WHO ARE RECEIVING TESTING
AND THOSE WHO ARE GIVING THEIR
PERSONAL INFORMATION AND IF TH
COME BACK POSITIVE, AND IF THEY
DISTRUST THOSE RECEIVING THE
INFORMATION, THEY ARE NOT GOING
TO BE WILLING TO PROVIDE THAT
INFORMATION.
LETICI EXACTLY HOW WILL THIS
WORK?
DOES THAT HAVE TO TO BE A CASE
IDENTIFIED AND THEN A CONTACT
TRACER WILL GO INTO THAT VIDEO
AND I DOUBT WHERE THAT PERSON
HAS BEEN?
>> I THINK THAT THE IDEAL THAT
SINCE THE MOMENT IN WHICH THE
TESTING IS BEING DONE TO
ESTABLISH A TRUSTING
RELATIONSHIP
HAVING CONTACT TRACERS WHO LOOK
LIKE THE POPULATIONS THAT THEY
ARE SERVING AND THAT CAN
EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICAT
