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Dr. Stephanie Silvera Discusses Coronavirus Tracing and Testing for NJ.com

Posted in: College News and Events

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Dr. Stephanie Silvera, Professor in the Public Health Department, was quoted by NJ.com on March 15, 2020 in their article, “How many people are infected? As coronavirus testing expands in N.J., information on cases becomes less specific.” The article states: “Stephanie Silvera, an epidemiologist and Montclair State University professor, said knowing the towns of cases may be ‘nice to know,’ but most New Jersey residents travel outside their hometowns anyway. It may be possible the state is tracking the individual municipalities of each case, she said, but not releasing the information for privacy reasons.

‘If you’re talking about a small municipality and you say three people (have coronavirus), by the end of the Facebook day people are already figuring out who it is,’ Silvera told NJ Advance Media.

Silvera said the opening of new testing centers indicates that New Jersey is well past containment or even contact tracing. She said it shows the state is moving towards screening, which is more cost-effective than contact tracing.”