The founder of a contact tracing firm that's fielded 80,000 job applications in 5 weeks describes what he's looking for in an applicant

contact tracing AP Photo/Steven Senne

Public health experts say the US needs an "army" of contact tracers who can help contain coronavirus outbreaks by tracking down everyone patients have come into contact with.
in late April, CONTRACE Public Health Corps was launched to help with the nation's contact tracing needs. They've already fielded 80,000 applicants.
The US has gone from 2,200 contact tracers nationwide to 36,000 since the coronavirus began to spread, but CONTRACE co-founded Steve Waters believes the country will need between 100,000 and 300,000.
Waters told Business Insider successful contact tracers are empathetic, enjoy talking on the phone, and are adept at talking to people in times of crisis.
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A company that was established fewer than five weeks ago and has already received nearly 80,000 job applications shows just how much the coronavirus is reshaping the world.

CONTRACE Public Health Corps, a social enterprise headquartered in Washington, D.C., since April 22, is the brainchild of social entrepreneur Steve Waters. He created it in response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far infected more than 1.7 million Americans and killed at least 102,000, according to Johns Hopkins data.

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