Andy Parker, 67, of Collinsville, works in his home office. Since July, the gun-control activist has been working with the Virginia Department of Health on COVID-19 pandemic control. Those jobs can pay in the $25 to $30 per hour range, and the commonwealth has recently hired hundreds of contact tracers and case investigators. Dan Casey Andy Parker of Collinsville has worn a lot of hats in life. Many people know him as a gun-control activist, a cause he embraced after his daughter, Alison, and her WDBJ news co-worker Adam Ward were shot and killed by an demented ex-colleague in 2015. Before that, Parker was an actor, a corporate headhunter and an elected supervisor in Henry County. In 2019, he added “author” to that list, with publication of a book, “For Alison: The Murder of a Young Journalist and a Father’s Fight for Gun Safety.” Since July, he’s been working in a new trade — health contact tracing. Unfortunately, it’s probably the fastest-growing job category in the commonwealth. Around the beginning of this year, according to its website, the Virginia Department of Health employed a few hundred tracers and case investigators, who kept tabs on the spread of communicable diseases such as measles or tuberculosis. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the ranks of tracers and investigators have swelled nearly tenfold. As of Friday, the commonwealth has 2,581 contact tracers or case investigators, according to Erin Beard, a VDH spokeswoman. The VDH is still looking to fill about 100 positions, she added. The ideal number is based on population size, Beard said — the department needs roughly 30 tracers or investigators per 100,000 Virginia residents. Of the total, a little more than 600 are actual state employees. The remainder are contractors hired through staffing agencies.

Subscribe to Andy Parker, 67, of Collinsville, works in his home office. Since July, the gun-control activist has been working with the Virginia Department of Health on COVID-19 pandemic control. Those jobs can pay in the $25 to $30 per hour range, and the commonwealth has recently hired hundreds of contact tracers and case investigators. Dan Casey Andy Parker of Collinsville has worn a lot of hats in life. Many people know him as a gun-control activist, a cause he embraced after his daughter, Alison, and her WDBJ news co-worker Adam Ward were shot and killed by an demented ex-colleague in 2015. Before that, Parker was an actor, a corporate headhunter and an elected supervisor in Henry County. In 2019, he added “author” to that list, with publication of a book, “For Alison: The Murder of a Young Journalist and a Father’s Fight for Gun Safety.” Since July, he’s been working in a new trade — health contact tracing. Unfortunately, it’s probably the fastest-growing job category in the commonwealth. Around the beginning of this year, according to its website, the Virginia Department of Health employed a few hundred tracers and case investigators, who kept tabs on the spread of communicable diseases such as measles or tuberculosis. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the ranks of tracers and investigators have swelled nearly tenfold. As of Friday, the commonwealth has 2,581 contact tracers or case investigators, according to Erin Beard, a VDH spokeswoman. The VDH is still looking to fill about 100 positions, she added. The ideal number is based on population size, Beard said — the department needs roughly 30 tracers or investigators per 100,000 Virginia residents. Of the total, a little more than 600 are actual state employees. The remainder are contractors hired through staffing agencies.

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← Back to Andy Parker, 67, of Collinsville, works in his home office. Since July, the gun-control activist has been working with the Virginia Department of Health on COVID-19 pandemic control. Those jobs can pay in the $25 to $30 per hour range, and the commonwealth has recently hired hundreds of contact tracers and case investigators. Dan Casey Andy Parker of Collinsville has worn a lot of hats in life. Many people know him as a gun-control activist, a cause he embraced after his daughter, Alison, and her WDBJ news co-worker Adam Ward were shot and killed by an demented ex-colleague in 2015. Before that, Parker was an actor, a corporate headhunter and an elected supervisor in Henry County. In 2019, he added “author” to that list, with publication of a book, “For Alison: The Murder of a Young Journalist and a Father’s Fight for Gun Safety.” Since July, he’s been working in a new trade — health contact tracing. Unfortunately, it’s probably the fastest-growing job category in the commonwealth. Around the beginning of this year, according to its website, the Virginia Department of Health employed a few hundred tracers and case investigators, who kept tabs on the spread of communicable diseases such as measles or tuberculosis. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the ranks of tracers and investigators have swelled nearly tenfold. As of Friday, the commonwealth has 2,581 contact tracers or case investigators, according to Erin Beard, a VDH spokeswoman. The VDH is still looking to fill about 100 positions, she added. The ideal number is based on population size, Beard said — the department needs roughly 30 tracers or investigators per 100,000 Virginia residents. Of the total, a little more than 600 are actual state employees. The remainder are contractors hired through staffing agencies.