Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34886842›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2021

Numbers of close contacts of individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 and their association with government intervention strategies.

Conor G McAloon, Patrick Wall, Francis Butler, Mary Codd, Eamonn Gormley, Cathal Walsh, Jim Duggan, T Brendan Murphy, Philip Nolan, Breda Smyth and 10 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Scale-free dynamics of COVID-19 in a Brazilian city.Applied mathematical modelling · 2023
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Conor G McAloonSchool of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. conor.mcaloon@ucd.ie.
Patrick WallSchool of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Francis ButlerSchool of Biosystems and Food Engineering, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Mary CoddSchool of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Eamonn GormleySchool of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Cathal WalshDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Jim DugganSchool of Computer Science, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
T Brendan MurphySchool of Mathematics and Statistics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Philip NolanNational University of Ireland Maynooth, Kildare, Ireland.
Breda SmythDepartment of Public Health, Health Service Executive West, Galway, Ireland.
Katie O'BrienDepartment of Health, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Conor TeljeurHealth Information and Quality Authority, George's Court, Dublin 7, Ireland.
Martin J GreenSchool of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Luke O'GradySchool of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Kieran CulhaneCentral Statistics Office, Ardee road, Rathmines, Dublin, Ireland.
Claire BuckleyCOVID-19 Contact Management Programme, Health Service Executive, Dublin, Ireland.
Ciara CarrollCOVID-19 Contact Management Programme, Health Service Executive, Dublin, Ireland.
Sarah DoyleCOVID-19 Contact Management Programme, Health Service Executive, Dublin, Ireland.
Jennifer MartinCOVID-19 Contact Management Programme, Health Service Executive, Dublin, Ireland.
Simon J MoreSchool of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundContact tracing is conducted with the primary purpose of interrupting transmission from individuals who are likely to be infectious to others. Secondary analyses of data on the numbers of close contacts of confirmed cases could also: provide an early signal of increases in contact patterns that might precede larger than expected case numbers; evaluate the impact of government interventions on the number of contacts of confirmed cases; or provide data information on contact rates between age cohorts for the purpose of epidemiological modelling. We analysed data from 140,204 close contacts of 39,861 cases in Ireland from 1st May to 1st December 2020.

resultsNegative binomial regression models highlighted greater numbers of contacts within specific population demographics, after correcting for temporal associations. Separate segmented regression models of the number of cases over time and the average number of contacts per case indicated that a breakpoint indicating a rapid decrease in the number of contacts per case in October 2020 preceded a breakpoint indicating a reduction in the number of cases by 11 days.

conclusionsWe found that the number of contacts per infected case was overdispersed, the mean varied considerable over time and was temporally associated with government interventions. Analysis of the reported number of contacts per individual in contact tracing data may be a useful early indicator of changes in behaviour in response to, or indeed despite, government restrictions. This study provides useful information for triangulating assumptions regarding the contact mixing rates between different age cohorts for epidemiological modelling.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2Contact TracingGovernmentHumansIreland“contact tracing”“COVID-19”“interventions”“SARS-CoV-2”

Identifiers

PMID34886842
PMCPMC8655330

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.