scholarly journals COVID-19 mitigation by digital contact tracing and contact prevention (app-based social exposure warnings)

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Germán J. Soldano ◽  
Juan A. Fraire ◽  
Jorge M. Finochietto ◽  
Rodrigo Quiroga
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Time Delays ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Infection Detection ◽  
Available Technology ◽  
Novel Strategy ◽  
Social Exposure

AbstractA plethora of measures are being combined in the attempt to reduce SARS-CoV-2 spread. Due to its sustainability, contact tracing is one of the most frequently applied interventions worldwide, albeit with mixed results. We evaluate the performance of digital contact tracing for different infection detection rates and response time delays. We also introduce and analyze a novel strategy we call contact prevention, which emits high exposure warnings to smartphone users according to Bluetooth-based contact counting. We model the effect of both strategies on transmission dynamics in SERIA, an agent-based simulation platform that implements population-dependent statistical distributions. Results show that contact prevention remains effective in scenarios with high diagnostic/response time delays and low infection detection rates, which greatly impair the effect of traditional contact tracing strategies. Contact prevention could play a significant role in pandemic mitigation, especially in developing countries where diagnostic and tracing capabilities are inadequate. Contact prevention could thus sustainably reduce the propagation of respiratory viruses while relying on available technology, respecting data privacy, and most importantly, promoting community-based awareness and social responsibility. Depending on infection detection and app adoption rates, applying a combination of digital contact tracing and contact prevention could reduce pandemic-related mortality by 20–56%.

scholarly journals On the Effectiveness of Digital Contact Tracing and Contact Prevention Under Varying COVID-19 Infection Detection Rates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
German José Soldano ◽  
Juan Andrés Fraire ◽  
Jorge Manuel Finochietto ◽  
Rodrigo Quiroga
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Time Delays ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Infection Detection ◽  
Available Technology ◽  
Novel Strategy

Abstract A plethora of measures are being combined in the attempt to reduce SARS-CoV-2 spread. Due to its sustainability over time, contact tracing is one of the most frequently applied interventions worldwide, albeit with mixed results. In this work, we evaluate the perfomance of contact tracing for different infection detection rates and response time delays. We also introduce and analyze a novel strategy we call contact prevention. We model the effect of both strategies on contagion dynamics in SERIA, an agent-based simulation platform that implements realistic population-dependent statistical distributions. Results show that diagnostic/response time delays and low infection detection rates greatly impair the effect of contact tracing strategies, while contact prevention remains effective in these scenarios. Therefore, contact prevention could play a significant role in pandemic mitigation, specially in under-developed countries where diagnostic and tracing capabilities are insufficient. Contact prevention could thus sustainably reduce the propagation of respiratory viruses while relying on available technology, respecting data privacy, and most importantly, promoting community-based awareness and social responsibility. Depending on infection detection and app adoption rates, applying a combination of contact tracing and contact prevention could reduce pandemic-related mortality by 20%-56%.

scholarly journals Do You Have COVID-19?: How to Increase the Use of Diagnostic and Contact-Tracing Apps

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Déborah Martínez ◽  
Cristina Parilli ◽  
Ana María Rojas ◽  
Carlos Scartascini ◽  
Alberto Simpser
Keyword(s):  
Data Privacy ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Promotion Policy ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Willingness To Adopt ◽  
Mexican Adults

Diagnostic and contact tracing apps are an important weapon against contagion during a pandemic. We study how the content of the messages used to promote the apps influences adoption by conducting a survey experiment on approximately 23,000 Mexican adults. Respondents were randomly assigned to one of three different prompts, or a control condition, before stating their willingness to adopt a diagnostic app and contact-tracing app. The prompt emphasizing government efforts to ensure data privacy, which has been one of the most common strategies, reduced willingness to adopt the diagnostic app by about 4 percentage points and the contact tracing app by 3 percentage points. An effective app promotion policy must understand individuals' reservations and be wary of unintended reactions to naive reassurances.

scholarly journals Active case detection methods for crusted scabies and leprosy: A systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. e0009577
Author(s):  
Miriam Glennie ◽  
Karen Gardner ◽  
Michelle Dowden ◽  
Bart J. Currie
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Case Detection ◽  
Community Screening ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Active Case Detection ◽  
Active Case ◽  
Crusted Scabies

Background Crusted scabies is endemic in some remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia and carries a high mortality risk. Improvement in active case detection (ACD) for crusted scabies is hampered by a lack of evidence about best practice. We therefore conducted a systematic review of ACD methods for leprosy, a condition with similar ACD requirements, to consider how findings could be informative to crusted scabies detection. Methods and principle findings We conducted systematic searches in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus and the Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews for studies published since 1999 that reported at least one comparison rate (detection or prevalence rate) against which the yield of the ACD method could be assessed. The search yielded 15 eligible studies from 511. Study heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis. Contact tracing and community screening of marginalised ethnic groups yielded the highest new case detection rates. Rapid community screening campaigns, and those using less experienced screening personnel, were associated with lower suspect confirmation rates. There is insufficient data to assess whether ACD campaigns improve treatment outcomes or disease control. Conclusion This review demonstrates the importance of ACD campaigns in communities facing the highest barriers to healthcare access and within neighbourhoods of index cases. The potential benefit of ACD for crusted scabies is not quantified, however, lessons from leprosy suggest value in follow-up with previously identified cases and their close contacts to support for scabies control and to reduce the likelihood of reinfection in the crusted scabies case. Skilled screening personnel and appropriate community engagement strategies are needed to maximise screening uptake. More research is needed to assess ACD cost effectiveness, impact on disease control, and to explore ACD methods capable of capturing the homeless and highly mobile who may be missed in household centric models.

Survival Following Penetrating Trauma and Response Time Delays

2005 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
R.E. Megargel ◽  
D. McGinnis-Hainsworth ◽  
R.E. O'Connor
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Time Delays ◽  
Penetrating Trauma

scholarly journals Leprosy Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (LPEP) programme: study protocol for evaluating the feasibility and impact on case detection rates of contact tracing and single dose rifampicin

BMJ Open ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. e013633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja Barth-Jaeggi ◽  
Peter Steinmann ◽  
Liesbeth Mieras ◽  
Wim van Brakel ◽  
Jan Hendrik Richardus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Dose ◽  
Study Protocol ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Post Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Case Detection ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Post Exposure ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis

scholarly journals Exploring the role and mechanism of COVID-19 apps in fighting the current pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Karthikeyan P. Iyengar ◽  
Rachit Jain ◽  
David Ananth Samy ◽  
Vijay Kumar Jain ◽  
Raju Vaishya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Privacy ◽  
Viral Transmission ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Test Track ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
And Control ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Transmission Test

As COVID-19 pandemic spread worldwide, policies have been developed to contain the disease and prevent viral transmission. One of the key strategies has been the principle of “‘test, track, and trace” to minimize spread of the virus. Numerous COVID-19 contact tracing applications have been rolled around the world to monitor and control the spread of the disease. We explore the characteristics of various COVID-19 applications and especially the Aarogya Setu COVID-19 app from India in its role in fighting the current pandemic. We assessed the current literature available to us using conventional search engines, including but not limited to PubMed, Google Scholar, and Research Gate in May 2020 till the time of submission of this article. The search criteria used MeSH keywords such as “COVID-19,” “pandemics,” “contact tracing,” and “mobile applications.” A variable uptake of different COVID-19 applications has been noted with increasing enrolment around the world. Security concerns about data privacy remain. The various COVID-19 applications will complement manual contact tracing system to assess and prevent viral transmission. Test, track, trace, and support policy will play a key role in avoidance of a “second wave” of the novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 outbreak.

scholarly journals Estimating the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions on COVID-19 control in South Korea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyung-Duk Min ◽  
Heewon Kang ◽  
Ju-Yeun Lee ◽  
Seonghee Jeon ◽  
Sung-il Cho
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Compartment Model ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Contact Rate ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Spring Semester ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Effective Contact ◽  
Pharmaceutical Interventions

Abstract Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed significant global public health challenges and created a substantial economic burden. South Korea has experienced an extensive outbreak, which was linked to a religion-related super-spreading event. However, the implementation of various non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including social distancing, spring semester postponing, and extensive testing and contact tracing controlled the epidemic. Herein, we estimated the effectiveness of each NPI using a simulation model.Methods: A compartment model with a susceptible-exposed-infectious-quarantined-hospitalized (SEIQH) structure was employed. Using the Monte-Carlo-Markov-Chain algorithm with Gibbs’ sampling method, we estimated the time-varying effective contact rate to calibrate the model with the reported daily new confirmed cases from February 12th to March 31st (7 weeks). Moreover, we conducted scenario analyses by adjusting the parameters to estimate the effectiveness of NPI.Results: Relaxed social distancing among adults would have increased the number of cases 27-fold until the end of March, and the epidemic curve would have been similar to other high burden countries. Spring semester non-postponement would have increased the effective contact rate 2·4-fold among individuals aged 0-19, while lower quarantine and detection rates would have increased the number of cases 1·4-fold. Conclusions: Among the three NPI measures, social distancing in adults showed the highest effectiveness. The substantial effect of social distancing should be considered for developing an exit strategy.

scholarly journals How to strike the balance between data accessibility and data privacy in the case of contact tracing applications (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Kolasa ◽  
Ewa Leszczuk-Czubkowska ◽  
Francesca Mazzi ◽  
Edyta Piętak
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Data Retention ◽  
Data Accessibility ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Explicit Consent ◽  
Definition Of

BACKGROUND The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the rapid implementation of data-driven innovation, as part of the efforts to curtail the spread of the virus. However, not all digital solutions have been launched expeditiously. A case in point is the adoption of contact tracing mobile applications, although they triggered a debate regarding the issue of data privacy. The objective of our study is to discuss the effective use of digital solutions that are in compliance with data privacy regulations. OBJECTIVE To address the question how to strike the balance between the data accessibility and data confidentiality to ensure the greatest benefit of contact tracing mobile applications. METHODS A systematic review of Pubmed, Medbase, and grey literature was performed. To ensure a standardised approach for reviewing contact tracing applications, two checklists assessing both effectiveness and compliance with data privacy were developed. Based on a scorecard comprising 16 criteria, the ranking of digital solutions was also conducted. RESULTS Overall, 18 applications were reviewed. While seven provided a definition of contact tracing, eight allowed for COVID-19 test result verification and only one defined the efficiency threshold. Explicit consent was requested in 15, and anonymisation techniques and data retention were provided in 14 and 13, respectively. Compliance with data minimisation in terms of Bluetooth was reported in seven cases. Principally, 10 applications collected additional information, of which six adopted anonymisation and/or aggregation for data sharing with a third party. The decentralised approach was identified in eight of 18 cases. With regard to ranking, COVIDSafe received the maximum score (15 of 16 points), while Alipay Health Code ranked last (-3 of 16 points). CONCLUSIONS The compliance with data privacy was the highest with respect to explicit consent and data retention while the lowest with respect to data minimization and sharing in anonymised and aggregated manner. There is still a room for improvement in terms of the usefulness of digital contact tracing in the compliance with data privacy regulations.

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