Using high-resolution contact networks to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 transmission and control in large-scale multi-day events

Rachael Pung (), Josh A. Firth, Lewis G. Spurgin, Vernon J. Lee and Adam J. Kucharski
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Rachael Pung: Ministry of Health
Josh A. Firth: University of Oxford
Lewis G. Spurgin: University of East Anglia
Vernon J. Lee: Ministry of Health
Adam J. Kucharski: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract The emergence of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants has created a need to reassess the risk posed by increasing social contacts as countries resume pre-pandemic activities, particularly in the context of resuming large-scale events over multiple days. To examine how social contacts formed in different activity settings influences interventions required to control Delta variant outbreaks, we collected high-resolution data on contacts among passengers and crew on cruise ships and combined the data with network transmission models. We found passengers had a median of 20 (IQR 10–36) unique close contacts per day, and over 60% of their contact episodes were made in dining or sports areas where mask wearing is typically limited. In simulated outbreaks, we found that vaccination coverage and rapid antigen tests had a larger effect than mask mandates alone, indicating the importance of combined interventions against Delta to reduce event risk in the vaccine era.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29522-y

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