REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Eastern Visayas
CENTER FOR HEALTH DEVELOPMENT
 Steps in Contact Tracing
for Local Government
Units (LGU)
Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development
 Objectives of Contact Tracing
• To interrupt the ongoing transmission and reduce the
spread of an infection
• To alert contacts to the possibility of infection and
offer preventive counselling or prophylactic care
• To offer diagnosis, counselling and treatment to
already infected individuals
• To help prevent re-infection of the originally infected
person
• To learn about the epidemiology of a disease in a
particular population

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

 Ethical and Legal Issues
 Privacy and Duty to Warn

• infected individuals have a recognized right to medical

confidentiality.
• Public health teams typically disclose the minimum
amount of information required to achieve the
objectives of contact tracing (e.g. ONLY contacts are
told that they have been exposed to a particular
infection, but not informed of the person who was the
source of the exposure.)

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

 Ethical and Legal Issues
 Confidentiality and Risk of Stigma
• Fear of loss of confidentiality and subsequent
stigma, discrimination, or abuse as a result of
contact tracing that may discourage persons from
seeking medical treatment

Note: Public health officials have recognized that the

goals of contact tracing must be balanced with
maintenance of trust with vulnerable and sensitivity to
individual situations

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

Who is a Close Contact?
Close Contacts:
Individuals who cared for, lived, worked, travelled, and transacted with confirmed COVID-19
case during this time period

Category Definition
This includes passengers of a flight or sea vessel, bus, train,
or other transportation/vehicle whose seat is located four rows
A in front, at the back, or at any side of a confirmed case who is
still in the Philippines
This includes passengers of a flight or sea vessel, bus, train,
or other transportation/vehicle whose seat is located four rows
B in front, at the back, or at any side of a confirmed case who
had already left the Philippines

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

Who is a Close Contact?
Category Definition
This includes persons who have had exposure when they
lived with, worked with*, transacted with*, or cared for a
confirmed case.
 

C *WHO has recommended that this will include individuals

who had a face-to-face contact with a confirmed case for at
least a 15-minute conversation within one meter from the
confirmed case OR was shared an enclosed space for a
minimum of two (2) hours with a confirmed case. 
This includes passengers or crew of vehicles/vessels
taken/used by, and persons who lived with, worked with,
D transacted with, or cared for a suspect who died during
their 14-day monitoring period

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

Who is a Close Contact?
Date when confirmed case first had a sign Date when
or symptom confirmed case
(Fever, cough, respiratory signs and REPEAT TEST
symptoms) is NEGATIVE
OR tested positive (if asymptomatic)

2 days before
onset
0 XX Days after onset of illness

Individuals who cared for,

lived, worked, travelled, and
CLOSE CONTACTS transacted with confirmed
COVID-19 case during this
time period

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

Contact Tracing Team
• Team Leader: City or Municipal PNP Chief
• Co-Lead: City or Municipal Health Officer
• Secure the list of local COVID-19 cases from regional DILG
• Lead in drafting plan for case investigation
• Identify location of cases
• Secure the area where case is located

• Members: PNP, City/Municipal or Rural Health Physicians, Nurses

or Midwives
• Conduct contact tracing: profile and assess close contacts
• Collect laboratory samples, as needed
• Conduct immediate transport of close contacts for health facility isolation
• Provide health education and give instructions about what they need to
do
• Submit accomplished forms to City/Municipal Health Officer and the
City/Municipal Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

 Functions of Contact Tracing and Monitoring Team

• Team Leaders: City or Municipal PNP Chief and City or

Municipal Health Officer
1. Reports to the Local Executives
2. Organize and deployed local contact tracing teams
3. Listing of close contacts endorsed for close contact tracing and
monitoring
4. Prepare and provide needed logistic for contact tracings and
monitoring such as forms, communication allowance,
thermometer, PPE, etc.
5. Coordinate with appropriate barangay officials
6. Ensures that reports are submitted on time at the Regional
DILG and RESU of the Center for Health Development

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

 Functions of Contact Tracing and Monitoring Team
• Members:
A. PNP, City/Municipal or Rural Health Physicians,
Nurses or Midwives, BHERTS
1. Conduct daily monitoring of close contacts for 14 days
2. Accomplish recording forms and submit to health office at the
end of each day
3. Facilitate transport for immediate referral of contacts who are
symptomatic for appropriate assessment and management
4. Provide health education and give instructions about what
they need to do
5. Refer to appropriate offices non-health concerns/issues of
close contacts
6. Submit accomplished forms to local health office

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

Functions of Epidemiology and Surveillance Officer
in Contact Tracing and Monitoring

City or Municipal Epidemiology and Surveillance Officer

1. Orient team members how to conduct contact tracing and
monitoring; and, use of recording forms
2. Oversee/supervise the Contact tracing and Monitoring Activities
3. Profile the reported COVID-19 case and generate line list of close
contacts
4. Endorse profile and list of close contacts to the Contact Tracing and
Monitoring Team
5. Consolidate all report forms for submission to the RESU every 5PM
daily
6. Do local analysis and interpretation of local data
7. Submit report to the City/Municipal Health Officer for local
dissemination
Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development
Contact Tracing Video

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

Forms

Case Investigation Form

2019 Coronavirus
Disease (CoViD-19)

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

Forms
Profile of Close Contact Form

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

Forms
Daily Signs & Symptoms Monitoring Form

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

Forms
Close Contact Line list Form

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

Forms
Data Source Template (Excel File Format)

TO BE SUBMITTED WEEKLY

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

Forms
EXAMPLE ONLY

Input only the close contact that is/are POSITIVE with COVID-19

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development

Maraming Salamat po!