Digital proximity tracing on empirical contact networks for pandemic control

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21809-w
• Publication Date: 2021-03-12T11:07:02Z
• Authors: G. Cencetti; G. Santin; A. Longa; E. Pigani; A. Barrat; C. Cattuto; S. Lehmann; M. Salathé; B. Lepri
• Keywords: Contact tracing; Tracing; Isolation; Pandemic

Abstract Digital contact tracing is a relevant tool to control infectious disease outbreaks, including the COVID-19 epidemic. Early work evaluating digital omitted important features and heterogeneities of real-world patterns influencing contagion dynamics. We fill this gap with modeling framework informed by empirical high-resolution data analyze impact in pandemic. investigate how well apps, coupled quarantine identified contacts, can mitigate spread real environments. find that restrictive policies are more effective containing epidemic but come at cost unnecessary large-scale quarantines. Policy evaluation through their efficiency results optimized solutions which only consider contacts longer than 15–20 minutes closer 2–3 meters be risk. Our show isolation help re-emerging outbreaks when some conditions met: (i) reduction reproductive number masks physical distance; (ii) low-delay infected individuals; (iii) high compliance. Finally, we observe inefficacy less privacy-preserving involving second order contacts. may inform efforts currently being implemented across several countries worldwide.