A Virtual Contact Tracing Guide for COVID-19 and Beyond

Overview

The Ministry of Public Health (MOH) in Cameroon has been at the forefront of the national COVID-19 response, with the support of key stakeholders. The Catalyzing COVID-19 Action (CCA) project, a FIND and Unitaid-funded initiative, has supported the MOH’s mission to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) received the award for the CCA project in 2021. The CCA project has shown strong leadership and partnership with the MOH in the fight against COVID-19 in Cameroon by integrating COVID-19 interventions with existing essential platforms and implementing innovative contact tracing strategies.
The CCA project has demonstrated a comprehensive and innovative approach to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The CCA project integrated COVID-19 interventions with HIV, TB, and maternal and child services to improve public health response. It also introduced new medication for the treatment of severe cases to reduce mortality, created demand and community engagement for COVID-19 screening and testing, and traced contacts of COVID-19 cases in person.

A notable innovation of the CCA project was the successful implementation of site-level virtual contact tracing in 2023. Facing challenges conducting in-person tracing and testing of contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases, the EGPAF Cameroon CCA team collaborated with Nkomo Medical Centre, a public hospital, and a health district team to use a line list, which is a list of potential contacts of COVID-19 positive index cases, and appointed a focal point to be in charge of implementing the virtual contact tracing approach. The focal point was a healthcare worker designated by the health facility to manage COVID-19-related tasks, and their responsibilities included screening eligible individuals, conducting COVID-19 tests, maintaining a contact list for COVID-19 cases, coordinating with the health district to reach out to contacts for screening and testing, and providing follow-up care for COVID-19-positive patients, either over the phone or through home-based care. The focal points’ engagement and dedication to this approach contributed immensely to the success of virtual contact tracing. Mrs. Yara, the focal point of Nkomo Medical Centre, says,

“It is critical to create a climate of trust with the patient and focus on their wellbeing. Patients appreciate it when you make time for them. This trust encourages patients to share correct details about their contacts for virtual follow-up and bring them to the health facility for testing.”

This innovative approach to virtual contact tracing was piloted at Nkomo Medical Centre and expanded to other CCA project sites in the West, Littoral and Centre regions. EGPAF developed a virtual contact tracing standard operating procedure (SOP) and conducted training sessions for focal points. The SOP encompassed guidelines on tracking and following up on contacts of confirmed positive COVID-19 clients and was disseminated across the various healthcare facilities supported by the project in the Littoral, West, and Centre regions of Cameroon. The EGPAF Cameroon team also ensured the effective execution of the virtual contact tracing by advocating for health facility administration to oversee the activity and support the focal point when needed; holding monthly site coordination meetings to discuss challenges and solutions; conducting follow-up phone discussions with the focal point to monitor progress and resolve issues; and making regular site visits to check focal points’ compliance with the standard operating procedures and activities. EGPAF’s strategic collaboration with key stakeholders and innovative approach to identify clients served as a model for enhancing COVID-19 response efforts in healthcare facilities and communities across the CCA project regions.