Changing social contact patterns among US workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: April 2020 to December 2021
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 defi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Epidemics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755436523000634 |
| _version_ | 1797389505414561792 |
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| author | Moses C. Kiti Obianuju G. Aguolu Alana Zelaya Holin Y. Chen Noureen Ahmed Jonathan Batross Carol Y. Liu Kristin N. Nelson Samuel M. Jenness Alessia Melegaro Faruque Ahmed Fauzia Malik Saad B. Omer Ben A. Lopman |
| author_facet | Moses C. Kiti Obianuju G. Aguolu Alana Zelaya Holin Y. Chen Noureen Ahmed Jonathan Batross Carol Y. Liu Kristin N. Nelson Samuel M. Jenness Alessia Melegaro Faruque Ahmed Fauzia Malik Saad B. Omer Ben A. Lopman |
| author_sort | Moses C. Kiti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:57:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d583acb360ef43539c3220e84200093d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1755-4365 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:57:58Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Epidemics |
| spelling | doaj.art-d583acb360ef43539c3220e84200093d2023-12-16T06:06:44ZengElsevierEpidemics1755-43652023-12-0145100727Changing social contact patterns among US workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: April 2020 to December 2021Moses C. Kiti0Obianuju G. Aguolu1Alana Zelaya2Holin Y. Chen3Noureen Ahmed4Jonathan Batross5Carol Y. Liu6Kristin N. Nelson7Samuel M. Jenness8Alessia Melegaro9Faruque Ahmed10Fauzia Malik11Saad B. Omer12Ben A. Lopman13Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, GA, USA; Correspondence to: Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.Yale Institute for Global Health, Yale University, CT, USA; Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, CT, USARollins School of Public Health, Emory University, GA, USARollins School of Public Health, Emory University, GA, USAYale Institute for Global Health, Yale University, CT, USARollins School of Public Health, Emory University, GA, USARollins School of Public Health, Emory University, GA, USARollins School of Public Health, Emory University, GA, USARollins School of Public Health, Emory University, GA, USADONDENA Centre for Research in Social Dynamics and Public Policy, Bocconi University, ItalyDivision of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USAYale Institute for Global Health, Yale University, CT, USAYale Institute for Global Health, Yale University, CT, USA; Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, CT, USARollins School of Public Health, Emory University, GA, USANon-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.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755436523000634Social contact patternsInfectious disease transmissionMathematical modelingCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Moses C. Kiti Obianuju G. Aguolu Alana Zelaya Holin Y. Chen Noureen Ahmed Jonathan Batross Carol Y. Liu Kristin N. Nelson Samuel M. Jenness Alessia Melegaro Faruque Ahmed Fauzia Malik Saad B. Omer Ben A. Lopman Changing social contact patterns among US workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: April 2020 to December 2021 Epidemics Social contact patterns Infectious disease transmission Mathematical modeling COVID-19 |
| title | Changing social contact patterns among US workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: April 2020 to December 2021 |
| title_full | Changing social contact patterns among US workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: April 2020 to December 2021 |
| title_fullStr | Changing social contact patterns among US workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: April 2020 to December 2021 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Changing social contact patterns among US workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: April 2020 to December 2021 |
| title_short | Changing social contact patterns among US workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: April 2020 to December 2021 |
| title_sort | changing social contact patterns among us workers during the covid 19 pandemic april 2020 to december 2021 |
| topic | Social contact patterns Infectious disease transmission Mathematical modeling COVID-19 |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755436523000634 |
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