Contact tracing alone is not enough against corona, according to study
Published: Wednesday, Jan 31st 2024, 11:00
Updated At: Wednesday, Jan 31st 2024, 11:00
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Around 40 percent of people infected with coronavirus in Switzerland have been identified through contact tracing. According to the University of Geneva, these results of a new study suggest that contact tracing alone was not enough to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
It must be supplemented by further measures, the University of Geneva (Unige) announced on Wednesday. Contact tracing refers to the tracing of contacts of people infected with the virus. The aim is to prevent further infections.
"The effectiveness of this strategy depends mainly on the characteristics of the disease in terms of symptoms, contagiousness and transmission routes," explained Delphine Courvoisier from the University of Geneva in the press release. "In the case of Ebola, for example, where patients are only contagious after the onset of symptoms, or closer to home, in the case of measles, contact tracing has proven to be effective in breaking transmission chains."
Coverage is not sufficient
To evaluate the effectiveness of contact tracing during the coronavirus pandemic, a research team led by Courvoisier analyzed data from more than 140,000 coronavirus cases recorded in the canton of Geneva between June 2020 and March 2022.
The results published in the specialist journal "Eurosurveillance" show that, on average, 41% of people who were infected by a person living in the same house were reported to contact tracing by that person. According to the study, this coverage is not sufficient to stop the spread of Covid-19. In the study, the authors suggest that measures aimed at preventing unnoticed infections should also be taken to contain the coronavirus. They cite wearing face masks, air filters and restrictions on gatherings as examples.
Rich people reported contacts less frequently
According to the study, people who lived in large buildings with many communal areas were less likely to report their contacts. According to the researchers, this is probably due to unintentional omissions, for example because people do not know their neighbors or have become infected in the elevator without direct contact.
In addition, people in affluent neighborhoods were less likely to report their contacts than others, the university added. "This result could be due to the fact that people living in affluent neighborhoods may have jobs that allow them to work remotely and therefore have less need for official quarantine certificates," the researchers wrote in the study. "However, it is also consistent with studies that have found that people from a higher social class are more likely to make unethical decisions or more likely to break the law."
According to the study, contact tracing could be improved through measures that target population groups that live in affluent neighborhoods or large apartment buildings, for example.
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