Page 24 - November2020
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AVOID COMMON COVID EXPOSURES
Avoid These Common Situations That Can Result in COVID-19 Exposures
Recent contract tracing interviews have identified a pattern of situations for COVID-19
exposure and transmission. The Identification, Contact Analysis and Notification (ICAN) team at
Johns Hopkins Medicine conducts contact tracing for all employees who test positive for
COVID-19. Once an employee tests positive for COVID-19, follow-up includes an interview to
identify: 1) potential modes of transmission and 2) any individuals who may have been exposed
through prolonged close contact (less than 6 feet for more than 15 cumulative minutes) when
one or more of the individuals involved was not wearing appropriate personal protective
equipment. The high-risk situations for COVID-19 exposure and transmission identified by
ICAN include but are not limited to the following scenarios:
Social Gatherings Outside of Work
• At gatherings with friends, family and colleagues, vigilance around COVID-19 prevention
(masking and distancing) is often relaxed, resulting in exposures to and infection with
COVID-19. Subsequent exposures in the workplace have occurred when the employee
who was infected in a social gathering then spread the virus at work. As the weather
becomes cooler and the holidays approach, it is important to remember that gatherings
with larger groups are strongly discouraged. Care must be taken to limit the size of
