ArticleBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2021
Adherence to the test, trace, and isolate system in the UK: results from 37 nationally representative surveys.
Article in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 125 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
125 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Behavioural Sciences Contribution to Suppressing Transmission of Covid-19 in the UK: A Systematic Literature Review.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Effectiveness of testing, contact tracing and isolation interventions among the general population on reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review.Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- What have we learned about COVID-19 volunteering in the UK? A rapid review of the literature.BMC public health · 2021Pooled it
- Trial
- Feasibility and acceptability of daily testing at school as an alternative to self-isolation following close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19: a qualitative analysis.BMC public health · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Daily testing for contacts of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection and attendance and SARS-CoV-2 transmission in English secondary schools and colleges: an open-label, cluster-randomised trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2021Trial
- Proactive vs. reactive COVID-19 screening in schools: Lessons from experimental protocols in France during the Delta and Omicron waves.PNAS nexus · 2026Article
- Individual, community, and structural determinants of diagnostic testing decisions during public health crises: evidence from dynamic access and behavioural trade-offs.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Belgium's SARS-CoV-2 contact tracing effectively curbed transmission, yet challenges persist in terms of delays, scalability and population adherence.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Non-standard employment, paid sick leave, and income loss during COVID-19 self-isolation: cross-sectional findings from South Korea.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- Identification of undetected SARS-CoV-2 infections by clustering of Nucleocapsid antibody trajectories.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Evaluating the feasibility and attitudes towards SARS-CoV-2 self-testing in a rural population in Zimbabwe: a cross-sectional survey.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Article
- Non-pharmaceutical interventions: evaluating challenges and priorities for future health shocks.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2024Article
- The public health impact of COVID-19 variants of concern on the effectiveness of contact tracing in Vermont, United States.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Non-pharmaceutical interventions to reduce COVID-19 transmission in the UK: a rapid mapping review and interactive evidence gap map.Journal of public health (Oxford, England) · 2024Review
- Estimated public health impact of concurrent mask mandate and vaccinate-or-test requirement in Illinois, October to December 2021.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Review
65 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo investigate rates of adherence to the UK's test, trace, and isolate system over the initial 11 months of the covid-19 pandemic.
designSeries of cross sectional online surveys.
setting37 nationally representative surveys in the UK, 2 March 2020 to 27 January 2021.
participants74 697 responses from 53 880 people living in the UK, aged 16 years or older (37 survey waves, about 2000 participants in each wave).
main outcome measuresIdentification of the main symptoms of covid-19 (cough, high temperature or fever, and loss of sense of smell or taste), self-reported adherence to self-isolation if symptoms were present and intention to self-isolate if symptoms were to develop, requesting a test for covid-19 if symptoms were present and intention to request a test if symptoms were to develop, and intention to share details of close contacts.
resultsOnly 51.5% of participants (95% confidence interval 51.0% to 51.9%, n=26 030/50 570) identified the main symptoms of covid-19; the corresponding values in the most recent wave of data collection (25-27 January 2021) were 50.8% (48.6% to 53.0%, n=1019/2007). Across all waves, duration adjusted adherence to full self-isolation was 42.5% (95% confidence interval 39.7% to 45.2%, n=515/1213); in the most recent wave of data collection (25-27 January 2021), it was 51.8% (40.8% to 62.8%, n=43/83). Across all waves, requesting a test for covid-19 was 18.0% (95% confidence interval 16.6% to 19.3%, n=552/3068), increasing to 22.2% (14.6% to 29.9%, n=26/117) from 25 to 27 January. Across all waves, intention to share details of close contacts was 79.1% (95% confidence interval 78.8% to 79.5%, n=36 145/45 680), increasing to 81.9% (80.1% to 83.6%, n=1547/1890) from 25 to 27 January. Non-adherence was associated with being male, younger age, having a dependent child in the household, lower socioeconomic grade, greater financial hardship during the pandemic, and working in a key sector.
conclusionsLevels of adherence to test, trace, and isolate are low, although some improvement has occurred over time. Practical support and financial reimbursement are likely to improve adherence. Targeting messaging and policies to men, younger age groups, and key workers might also be necessary.
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