Contact tracing efficiency, transmission heterogeneity, and accelerating COVID-19 epidemics.

ABSTRACT: Simultaneously controlling COVID-19 epidemics and limiting economic and societal impacts presents a difficult challenge, especially with limited public health budgets. Testing, contact tracing, and isolating/quarantining is a key strategy that has been used to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 and other pathogens. However, manual contact tracing is a time-consuming process and as case numbers increase a smaller fraction of cases' contacts can be traced, leading to additional virus spread. Delays between symptom onset and being tested (and receiving results), and a low fraction of symptomatic cases being tested and traced can also reduce the impact of contact tracing on transmission. We examined the relationship between increasing cases and delays and the pat

SUBMITTER: Gardner BJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8241027 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature