Precision Public Health in the Pandemic

Precision public health is a new field of inquiry that applies genomics and other big data tools and technologies to the investigation and control of health threats in communities. A precision public health approach to COVID-19 requires rapid and iterative collection, analysis, and visualization of genomic, epidemiologic, geospatial, and contact tracing data. In most cases, these data include personally identifiable information (PII).

MicrobeTrace is a secure, local, and user-friendly data visualization tool developed by the CDC, initially for HIV cluster detection and response, that has been rapidly retooled and adopted for the COVID-19 response. MicrobeTrace allows users to map transmission networks based on person-to-person contacts, pathogen-to-pathogen genetic distance, or person-to-place exposures.

This webinar will provide an overview of how MicrobeTrace can be used in the COVID-19 response and will present examples of how MicrobeTrace has been used in investigations of COVID-19 outbreaks in poultry facilities, K-12 schools, institutes of higher education, and nursing homes.