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Virtual Career Spotlight: COVID-19 Contact Tracers

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As corona virus spreads, contact tracing has become a high-demand remote job 

With millions of people unemployed across the United States due to the pandemic, here’s a job you can do from home that will allow you to be a valuable asset to your community. You do not need experience, you can work from home, and companies are hiring now. As a COVID-19 contact tracer, you will make phone calls, track the virus and and get paid.



About Contact Tracing

Contact tracers are information seekers. They use the phone to call patients who have tested positive for the corona virus. The Contact Tracer will ask scripted questions to find out where infected people work, where they’ve been, and who they’ve talked to or been in contact with. This process helps health professionals track and possibly slow the spread of the virus.

“I feel like I’m on a mission to find out as much as I can to control this health threat,” said virtual assistant Erin McGeorge.

McGeorge is completing her virtual training with her employer’s virtual online program. After her training, she will earn $26 per hour working full time.

“It’s important that you be interested in helping people and have great communication skills,” McGeorge said. “So if you’ve ever worked in customer service such as retail or in a medical office, then you will do well in this job.”

You can be hired to work as a remote Contact Tracer without having prior experience. You’ll just need a pleasant demeanor, compassion for others, persistence and critical-thinking skills.

How Contact Tracing Works

Due to the COVID19 pandemic, case investigators for health authorities must get in contact with patients who test positive for the virus. They gather names and contact information of friends and family, coworkers and other people who’ve come in contact with the patient. That information is passed along to a contact tracer. Working from a script, the contract tracer will make phone calls to let people know that they might’ve been exposed to the virus.

“The biggest misconception about contact tracing is that you need to have public health training or experience,” says Christiana Coyle, a professor at New York University’s School of Global Public Health and a former contact tracer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

“It’s more important,” says Coyle, “that you’re comfortable with medical terminology, working through a script and cold-calling people. For me, cold-calling was the hardest part. You’re giving people news that’s potentially very disturbing and serious. You never know what you’ll encounter on the other end of the phone.”

Contact Tracing – How to find jobs

Congress has allocated billions of dollars to expand Covid-19 testing and contact tracing. As a result, nationwide corporations, nonprofits, call-center operations and communication organizations have landed government contacts. Experts estimate that as many as 300,000 contact tracers will be needed and will earn up to $65,000 per year.Johns Hopkins University and the University of Houston are even offering free online courses to teach people how to become contact tracers.

VOT Contact Tracing Project

By State

  • ALASKA– There are many ways to become involved in Alaska’s COVID-19 response as a volunteer or a paid staff member including jobs with the State of Alaska, the University of Alaska, and others.
  • ARIZONA– Through the state employment website, a variety of positions are available including Contact Tracer jobs posted under the title of “Communicable Disease Investigator”
  • ARKANSAS– Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Arkansas will double its contact tracing efforts. He plans to seek an additional $22 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds to hire 350 more contact tracers.
  • CALIFORNIA– The University of California is recruiting Contact Tracers for temporary projects. State government and county departments are also hiring including Placer County: Contact Tracer $26.88/hour and Ventura County: Contact Tracer – Trilingual Required.
  • COLORADO– The Colorado Department of Public Health is hiring a variety of pandemic-related temporary remote jobs including Reporting Supervisors, Technicians and more. The Tri County Health Department is Colorado is also hiring Contact Tracers.
  • FLORIDA– The Florida Department of Health is hiring Contact Tracers (starting at $21/hour), COVID-19 Data Entry Agents (starting at $15/hr), a COVID-19 Call Center Rep starting at $18/hour, and many others.
  • GEORGIA- the Georgia Department of Health is hiring contact trainers who can expect to earn up to $15 per hour for their work. Minimum qualifications include a high school diploma, excellent interpersonal skills and more. 
  • ILLINOIS – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is seeking interested individuals to support local public health authorities to perform COVID-19 contact tracing.
  • MARYLAND- Loyola University is looking for a Contact Tracing Coordinator. NORC at the University of Chicago located in Baltimore is hiring Contact Tracers. The City of Baltimore also has a variety of opportunities for Tracers, Investigators and more.
  • MASSACHUSETTS– the Massachusetts Department of Health recently announced plans to recruit 1,000 individuals to conduct contact tracing activities, in concert with Boston nonprofit PARTNERS IN HEALTH. Must have “excellent interpersonal skills” and “the ability to interact professionally with culturally diverse individuals during a time of crisis and distress.”  
  • NEW YORK–  The New York City Department of Health is partnering with the Fund for Public Health to hire contact tracers with a salary of $65,000.
  • NEW JERSEY- full time commitment required. In order to work effectively, we will be scheduling people 7 days a week between 8am-8pm, but not to exceed 35 hours per week. To learn more about contact tracing, you can complete this free training.
  • NORTH CAROLINA– hiring individuals in a variety of fields including general administrative support staff to assist in screening and contact tracing. You can apply directly at the NC Government Jobs website Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) is also working with the NC Department of Heath and Human Services to hire and train staff to support the tracking of COVID19. CCNC is hiring a Statewide Contact Tracing Team. 
  • OHIO- Cleveland State University is hiring Contact Tracers. Miami University in Ohio is hiring Contact Tracers and Tracing Supervisors. Hamilton County is also looking for a Response Specialist. Warren County is looking for Contact Tracers at $16.56 per hour.
  • PENNSYLVANIA- The Lancaster Department of Health is hiring Contact Tracers. Penn State University is also hiring. Private organizations such as WellSpan are also hiring Contact Tracers.
  • SOUTH CAROLINA- In partnership with health departments across the state, numerous colleges and universities are hiring Contact Tracers including Clemson, the Medical University of South Carolina, and others.
  • TEXAS– the Houston Health Department is hiring 300 new temporary positions. Available positions include contact tracers, call center representatives, community involvement coordinators, epidemiologists, nurses and other roles. 
  • VIRGINIA– the Virginia Department of Health is hiring for various positions related to those efforts. Among the available positions are case investigator, COVID-19 data analytics coordinator, COVID-19 regional testing supervisor and contact tracers. Use the department’s website to search for “contact tracer” jobs.
  • WISCONSIN- Varies opportunities exist including Contact Tracers for Sawyer County, Calumet County, Rock County, and Disease Investigators earning $30 per hour for Waukesha, WI.

Other Organizations

  • CDC FOUNDATION– To help the United States combat the pandemic, the CDC Foundation is managing an emergency staffing effort. In addition to a competitive salary, the Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, short/long term disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, paid time off and retirement planning.
  • COGNOSANTE– fast-growing company that provides multi-channel contact management solutions. Currently hiring COVID19 Contact Tracers starting at $18/hr
  • CONTRACE Public Health Corps– a social enterprise based in Washington, DC, is working to fight COVID-19 by connecting Americans with jobs that are both desperately needed and critically important to public health.
  • GDIT– General Dynamics Information Technology is assisting in the COVID-19 response by hiring Contact Tracers.
  • HELUNA HEALTH is partnering with the County of Santa Clara, California to onboard and train the case investigation and contact tracing workforce. If you are interested in applying for a position with Heluna Health as a Contact Tracing Lead, please review their job postings online.
  • MTX GROUP- won a $295 million, 27-month state contact and has hired 605 people so far.
  • NCOA: NATIONAL COUNCIL ON AGING- The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is issuing a call for employers who are interesting in partnering with NCOA to fill Contact Tracer job listings through our Trial Employment Plan.
  • PARTNERS IN HEALTH. Must have “excellent interpersonal skills” and “the ability to interact professionally with culturally diverse individuals during a time of crisis and distress.”  
  • PCI- Project Concern International (PCI) works to enhance health, end hunger, overcome hardship and advance women & girls in communities around the world. They are hiring part time temporary contact tracers
  • PUBLIC HEALTH JOBS– This service provides a place to search for jobs in the public health field. You can search for Contact Tracer, COVID-19, and Communicable Disease to locate available opportunities.
  • YAKAMA NATION- The Yakama Tribe in Washington State has multiple Contact Tracer opportunities available to $21 per hour.

Free Online Training

  • ASTHO Learning– Introductory online course for entry-level COVID-19 contact tracers, for use by health agencies in rapid training of new contact tracers.
  • Coursera– A new Coursera class developed by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is now available to train contact tracers on the principles of the public health strategy many consider critical for slowing the spread of COVID-19.
  • Purdue University– Purdue University Global’s COVID-19 contact tracing course provides the information you need to help public health agencies track and limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19.

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