TY - JOUR
T1 - Changing social contact patterns among US workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
T2 - April 2020 to December 2021
AU - Kiti, Moses C.
AU - Aguolu, Obianuju G.
AU - Zelaya, Alana
AU - Chen, Holin Y.
AU - Ahmed, Noureen
AU - Batross, Jonathan
AU - Liu, Carol Y.
AU - Nelson, Kristin N.
AU - Jenness, Samuel M.
AU - Melegaro, Alessia
AU - Ahmed, Faruque
AU - Malik, Fauzia
AU - Omer, Saad B.
AU - Lopman, Ben A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Non-pharmaceutical interventions minimize social contacts, hence the spread of respiratory pathogens such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2. Globally, there is a paucity of social contact data from the workforce. In this study, we quantified two-day contact patterns among USA employees. Contacts were defined as face-to-face conversations, involving physical touch or proximity to another individual and were collected using electronic self-kept diaries. Data were collected over 4 rounds from 2020 to 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mean (standard deviation) contacts reported by 1456 participants were 2.5 (2.5), 8.2 (7.1), 9.2 (7.1) and 10.1 (9.5) across round 1 (April–June 2020), 2 (November 2020–January 2021), 3 (June–August 2021), and 4 (November–December 2021), respectively. Between round 1 and 2, we report a 3-fold increase in the mean number of contacts reported per participant with no major increases from round 2–4. We then modeled SARS-CoV-2 transmission at home, work, and community settings. The model revealed reduced relative transmission in all settings in round 1. Subsequently, transmission increased at home and in the community but remained exceptionally low in work settings. To accurately parameterize models of infection transmission and control, we need empirical social contact data that capture human mixing behavior across time.
AB - Non-pharmaceutical interventions minimize social contacts, hence the spread of respiratory pathogens such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2. Globally, there is a paucity of social contact data from the workforce. In this study, we quantified two-day contact patterns among USA employees. Contacts were defined as face-to-face conversations, involving physical touch or proximity to another individual and were collected using electronic self-kept diaries. Data were collected over 4 rounds from 2020 to 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mean (standard deviation) contacts reported by 1456 participants were 2.5 (2.5), 8.2 (7.1), 9.2 (7.1) and 10.1 (9.5) across round 1 (April–June 2020), 2 (November 2020–January 2021), 3 (June–August 2021), and 4 (November–December 2021), respectively. Between round 1 and 2, we report a 3-fold increase in the mean number of contacts reported per participant with no major increases from round 2–4. We then modeled SARS-CoV-2 transmission at home, work, and community settings. The model revealed reduced relative transmission in all settings in round 1. Subsequently, transmission increased at home and in the community but remained exceptionally low in work settings. To accurately parameterize models of infection transmission and control, we need empirical social contact data that capture human mixing behavior across time.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Infectious disease transmission
KW - Mathematical modeling
KW - Social contact patterns
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85176096232&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.epidem.2023.100727
DO - 10.1016/j.epidem.2023.100727
M3 - Article
C2 - 37948925
AN - SCOPUS:85176096232
SN - 1755-4365
VL - 45
JO - Epidemics
JF - Epidemics
M1 - 100727
ER -