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Audit: Contact tracing in California failed to meet goals

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A new audit says California did not meet its goal of hiring contact tracers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Department of Public Health set a goal of 31,400 contact tracers statewide. But the state had 12,100 contact tracers in January when the virus was spreading rapidly.

State Auditor Elaine Howle said that even if California had met its goal, it still would not have been enough.

The goal was based on an assumption the state would average 5,000 new cases per day. But the state averaged 25,000 new cases per day from late November through December.