Potential reduction in transmission of COVID-19 by digital contact tracing systems: a modelling study

Background. Digital tools are being developed to support contact tracing as part of the global effort to control the spread of COVID-19. These include smartphone apps, Bluetooth-based proximity detection, location tracking and automatic exposure notification features. Evidence on the effectiveness of alternative approaches to digital contact tracing is so far limited. Methods. We use an age-structured branching process model of the transmission of COVID-19 in different settings to estimate the potential of manual contact tracing and digital tracing systems to help control the epidemic. We investigate the effect of the uptake rate and proportion of contacts recorded by the digital system on key model outputs: the effective reproduction number, the mean outbreak size after 30 days and the probability of elimination. Results. Effective manual contact tracing can reduce the effective reproduction number from 2.4 to around 1.5. The addition of a digital tracing system with a high uptake rate over 75% could further reduce the effective reproduction number to around 1.1. Fully automated digital tracing without manual contact tracing is predicted to be much less effective. Conclusions. For digital tracing systems to make a significant contribution to the control of COVID-19, they need be designed in close conjunction with public health agencies to support and complement manual contact tracing by trained professionals.

Automated summary

This study uses a branching process model to evaluate the potential of manual contact tracing and digital tracing systems in controlling the COVID-19 epidemic. The results show that effective manual contact tracing can reduce the reproduction number, and adding a digital tracing system with a high uptake rate can further decrease the reproduction number. Close collaboration with public health agencies is crucial for the significant contribution of digital tracing systems in epidemic control.