Partners In Health Helps State Launch First-In-Nation Contact Tracing; COVID-19 Deaths Near 200

Officials in Massachusetts are gearing up to conduct widespread "contact tracing" to help track and halt the spread of the coronavirus.

The ambitious undertaking is the first in the nation. It enlists the help of Boston-based Partners in Health. The organization has experience tracking epidemics in other parts of the world, including the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Also Friday, the state Department of Public Health said 38 deaths related to COVID-19 had been reported in the previous 24 hours. That's the largest number of deaths reported in a single day to this point in the Massachusetts outbreak; but the number of deaths reported daily has hovered in the 30s since Tuesday. The total number of COVID-19-related deaths in the state stands at 192.

Senior State House Reporter Steve Brown joined WBUR's All Things Considered host Lisa Mullins to discuss the latest coronavirus-related news in Massachusetts.