Dr Hinds: ‘Epidemiological investigation’ not so simple

Epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds
Epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds

Epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds wants the public to know the term “pending epidemiological investigation” does not mean, “We walk up to someone, scan a QR code on their forehead and get all their epidemiological info.” He said it is an “iterative process.”

He was speaking at the Health Ministry’s news conference on Wednesday morning.

Hinds said he felt the public needed clarification of the term, which regularly appears in the ministry’s press releases about new covid19 cases. The term means it is currently uncertain how, where or when a person contracted the virus.

“We ask about activities, we ask about interactions, we ask about locations. And in so doing, we get some idea of who they might have exposed, as well as where they may have been exposed. Sometimes people don’t remember where they’ve went, they don’t remember who they have come into contact with. Sometimes they withhold information and then give it later.”

He said it is an “ongoing process.

“And you will find that the figures we have on linkages and clusters will change, will evolve as more information becomes available to us. So, the ones pending investigation – as those new cases are identified, the investigation begins. When we have asked as many questions as we can and have gotten as many answers are as possible, we conclude an investigation for a given individual. And we determine whether we can link them to another cluster or whether their origin is unknown.”

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