FORT WORTH, Texas — Dozens of North Texas students will soon get real-world experience fighting COVID-19.

The University of North Texas Health Science Center is partnering with the Tarrant County Department of Public Health for contact tracing.

“We want to end COVID transmission as quickly as possible,” said David Mansdoerfer, special assistant to the president of the UNT Health Science Center. “Our students are going to be leading the way on this.” 

The $1.9 million partnership funded by the CARES Act will pay 90 students working part-time to contact people who have tested positive for the coronavirus, find out where they’ve been and who they’ve been in contact with. 

With hundreds of new cases confirmed every day in Tarrant County, contact tracing is an important piece of the puzzle.

“The goal is to end the transmission chain,” Mansdoerfer said. “It really comes testing and then contact tracing to make sure that we can get to a positive outcome.

Identifying at-risk people, encouraging them to isolate and get tested quickly could make the difference between recovery and another shutdown, Mansdoerfer said.

“If we can figure out and stop the chain of transmission then we’re going to be having an easier time of opening up schools, of opening up other businesses because we’ll be able to quickly track and mitigate any potential spread,” Mansdoerfer said.

The partnership runs from September 1 through at least through December 30.