scholarly journals The Dutch COVID-19 Contact Tracing App (the CoronaMelder): Usability Study

10.2196/27882 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. e27882
Author(s):  
Britt Elise Bente ◽  
Jan Willem Jaap Roderick van 't Klooster ◽  
Maud Annemarie Schreijer ◽  
Lea Berkemeier ◽  
Joris Elmar van Gend ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Usability Tests ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Lower Education

Background Adoption and evaluation of contact tracing tools based on information and communications technology may expand the reach and efficacy of traditional contact tracing methods in fighting COVID-19. The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports initiated and developed CoronaMelder, a COVID-19 contact tracing app. This app is based on a Google/Apple Exposure Notification approach and aims to combat the spread of the coronavirus among individuals by notifying those who are at increased risk of infection due to proximity to someone who later tests positive for COVID-19. The app should support traditional contact tracing by faster tracing and greater reach compared to regular contact tracing procedures. Objective The main goal of this study is to investigate whether the CoronaMelder is able to support traditional contact tracing employed by public health authorities. To achieve this, usability tests were conducted to answer the following question: is the CoronaMelder user-friendly, understandable, reliable and credible, and inclusive? Methods Participants (N=44) of different backgrounds were recruited: youth with varying educational levels, youth with an intellectual disability, migrants, adults (aged 40-64 years), and older adults (aged >65 years) via convenience sampling in the region of Twente in the Netherlands. The app was evaluated with scenario-based, think-aloud usability tests and additional interviews. Findings were recorded via voice recordings, observation notes, and the Dutch User Experience Questionnaire, and some participants wore eye trackers to measure gaze behavior. Results Our results showed that the app is easy to use, although problems occurred with understandability and accessibility. Older adults and youth with a lower education level did not understand why or under what circumstances they would receive notifications, why they must share their key (ie, their assigned identifier), and what happens after sharing. In particular, youth in the lower-education category did not trust or understand Bluetooth signals, or comprehend timing and follow-up activities after a risk exposure notification. Older adults had difficulties multitasking (speaking with a public health worker and simultaneously sharing the key in the app). Public health authorities appeared to be unprepared to receive support from the app during traditional contact tracing because their telephone conversation protocol lacks guidance, explanation, and empathy. Conclusions The study indicated that the CoronaMelder app is easy to use, but participants experienced misunderstandings about its functioning. The perceived lack of clarity led to misconceptions about the app, mostly regarding its usefulness and privacy-preserving mechanisms. Tailored and targeted communication through, for example, public campaigns or social media, is necessary to provide correct information about the app to residents in the Netherlands. Additionally, the app should be presented as part of the national coronavirus measures instead of as a stand-alone app offered to the public. Public health workers should be trained to effectively and empathetically instruct users on how to use the CoronaMelder app.

scholarly journals The Dutch CoronaMelder: Do users see added value? (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britt Elise Bente ◽  
Jan-Willem Jaap Roderick van 't Klooster ◽  
Maud Annemarie Schreijer ◽  
Lea Berkemeier ◽  
Joris Elmar van Gend ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Gaze Behavior ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Telephone Conversation ◽  
Usability Tests ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Public Health Authorities

BACKGROUND Adoption and evaluation of ICT-based contact tracing tools may expand the reach and efficacy of traditional contact tracing methods in fighting COVID-19. The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports (HWS) initiated and developed a COVID-19 contact tracing app: CoronaMelder. This app is based on Google/Apple exposure notification approach and aims to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus among citizens, by notifying citizens who were at increased risk of infection because they were close by someone who was later tested positive for COVID-19. The app should support the traditional contact tracing by quicker tracing and reaching more people than regular contact tracing procedures. OBJECTIVE The main goal of this study is to investigate whether the CoronaMelder is able to support traditional contact tracing of Public Health Authorities (PHAs). To achieve this, usability tests were conducted aimed at answering the following question: Is the CoronaMelder user-friendly, understandable, reliable and credible, and inclusive? METHODS Participants (n=44) with different backgrounds were recruited: young people with a lower or higher level of education, young people with an intellectual disability, migrants, adults (40-64 years) and elderly (65> years) via convenience sampling in the CoronaMelder test region Twente, The Netherlands. The app was evaluated with scenario-based think-aloud usability tests with additional interviews. Findings were recorded via voice recordings, observation notes, the Dutch User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ-Dutch) and some participants wore eye trackers to measure gaze behavior. RESULTS Our results show that the app is easy to use. Yet, problems occurred with understandability and accessibility. Elderly and young people with a lower level of education do not understand why or when they receive notifications, or why they must share the key, and what happens after sharing. Especially young people with a lower level of education did not trust and understand the Bluetooth signals, timing and follow-up activities after risk exposure notification and elderly had difficulties in multitasking (contact with PHAs simultaneously with sharing key in app). PHAs appeared unprepared to be supported by the app in traditional contact tracing, because their telephone conversation protocol lacks guidance, explanation, and empathy. CONCLUSIONS The study indicated that the app is easy to use, but participants have misconceptions about its functioning. The perceived lack of clarity led to misconceptions of the app, mostly regarding its usefulness or privacy-preserving mechanisms. Tailored and target group specified communication, in forms of public campaigns or social media, is necessary to provide correct information about the app to Dutch citizens. Additionally, the app should be presented as part of the package of national corona measures, instead of just as a stand-alone app provided to the public. To succeed, PHA workers should be trained to effectively and empathically instruct users to warn others by using the CoronaMelder app.

scholarly journals Fueling the Covid-19 pandemic: summer school holidays and incidence rates in German districts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Plümper ◽  
Eric Neumayer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Summer School ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Robert Koch Institute ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Holiday Period ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities

AbstractBackgroundThe Robert-Koch-Institute reports that during the summer holiday period a foreign country is stated as the most likely place of infection for an average of 27 and a maximum of 49% of new SARS-CoV-2 infections in Germany.MethodsCross-sectional study on observational data. In Germany, summer school holidays are coordinated between states and spread out over 13 weeks. Employing a dynamic model with district fixed effects, we analyze the association between these holidays and weekly incidence rates across 401 German districts.ResultsWe find effects of the holiday period of around 45% of the average district incidence rates in Germany during their respective final week of holidays and the 2 weeks after holidays end. Western states tend to experience stronger effects than Eastern states. We also find statistically significant interaction effects of school holidays with per capita taxable income and the share of foreign residents in a district’s population.ConclusionsOur results suggest that changed behavior during the holiday season accelerated the pandemic and made it considerably more difficult for public health authorities to contain the spread of the virus by means of contact tracing. Germany’s public health authorities did not prepare adequately for this acceleration.

scholarly journals Clustering and superspreading potential of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in Hong Kong

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dillon Adam ◽  
Peng Wu ◽  
Jessica Wong ◽  
Eric Lau ◽  
Tim Tsang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Local Transmission ◽  
Terminal Cluster

Abstract Superspreading events have characterised previous epidemics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections. Using contact tracing data, we identified and characterized SARS-CoV-2 clusters in Hong Kong. Given a superspreading threshold of 6-8 secondary cases, we identified 5-7 probable superspreading events and evidence of substantial overdispersion in transmissibility, and estimated that 20% of cases were responsible for 80% of local transmission. Among terminal cluster cases, 27% (45/167) ended in quarantine. Social exposures produced a greater number of secondary cases compared to family or work exposures (p<0.001) while delays between symptom onset and isolation did not reliably predict the number of individual secondary cases or resulting cluster sizes. Public health authorities should focus on rapid tracing and quarantine of contacts, along with physical distancing to prevent superspreading events in high-risk social environments.

scholarly journals On the Futility of Contact Tracing

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Bhattacharya ◽  
Mikko Packalen
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities

Throughout the COVID-19 epidemic, public health authorities have promoted contact tracing as a key tool to combat the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Jay Bhattacharya and Mikko Packalen argue that contact tracing does not deserve the central place it has received in the tool kit public health authorities use to control the virus, and that, in some cases, it may make an outbreak worse.

scholarly journals Reported COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Associated Factors among Members of Athens Medical Association: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1134
Author(s):  
Georgios Marinos ◽  
Dimitris Lamprinos ◽  
Panagiotis Georgakopoulos ◽  
Georgios Patoulis ◽  
Georgia Vogiatzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Medical Association ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Vaccination Uptake ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities

There are limited data on the prevalence and determinants of COVID-19 vaccination coverage among physicians. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based, online study was conducted among the members of the Athens Medical Association (I.S.A.) over the period 25 February to 13 March 2021. All members of I.S.A. were invited to participate in the anonymous online survey. A structured, anonymous questionnaire was used. Overall, 1993 physicians participated in the survey. The reported vaccination coverage was 85.3%. The main reasons of no vaccination were pending vaccination appointment followed by safety concerns. Participants being informed about the COVID-19 vaccines by social media resulted in lower COVID-19 vaccination coverage than health workers being informed by other sources. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that no fear over COVID-19 vaccination-related side effects, history of influenza vaccination for flu season 2020–2021, and the perception that the information on COVID-19 vaccination from the national public health authorities is reliable, were independent factors of reported COVID-19 vaccination coverage. Our results demonstrate a considerable improvement of the COVID-19 vaccination uptake among Greek physicians. The finding that participants reported high reliability of the information related to COVID-19 vaccination provided by the Greek public health authorities is an opportunity which should be broadly exploited by policymakers in order to combat vaccination hesitancy, and further improve COVID-19 vaccination uptake and coverage among physicians/HCWs, and the general population.

A Brief Forewarning Intervention Overcomes Negative Effects of Salient Changes in COVID-19 Guidance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy David Gretton ◽  
Ethan Andrew Meyers ◽  
Alexander C. Walker ◽  
Jonathan Albert Fugelsang ◽  
Derek J. Koehler
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Scientific Understanding ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Health Messaging

During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health messaging, including guidance regarding protective health behavior (e.g., use of non-medical masks), changed over time. Although many revisions were a result of gains in scientific understanding, we nonetheless hypothesized that making changes in guidance salient would negatively impact evaluations of experts and health-protective intentions. In Study 1 (N = 300), we demonstrate that describing COVID-19 guidance in terms of inconsistency (versus consistency) leads people to perceive scientists and public health authorities less favorably (e.g., as less expert). Among a Canadian subsample, making guidance change salient also reduced intentions to download the COVID Alert contact tracing app. In Study 2 (N = 1399), we show that a brief forewarning intervention mitigates detrimental effects of changes in guidance. In the absence of forewarning, emphasizing inconsistency harmed judgments of public health authorities and reduced health-protective intentions, but forewarning eliminated this effect.

scholarly journals Retarded Logistic Equation as a Universal Dynamic Model for the Spread of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Shayak ◽  
Mohit M Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Dynamic Model ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Logistic Equation ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
City District ◽  
Public Health Authorities

ABSTRACTIn this work we propose the retarded logistic equation as a dynamic model for the spread of COVID-19 all over the world. This equation accounts for asymptomatic transmission, pre-symptomatic or latent transmission as well as contact tracing and isolation, and leads to a transparent definition of the instantaneous reproduction number R. For different parameter values, the model equation admits different classes of solutions. These solution classes correspond to, inter alia, containment of the outbreak via public health measures, exponential growth despite public health measures, containment despite reopening and second wave following reopening. We believe that the spread of COVID in every localized area such as a city, district or county can be accounted for by one of our solution classes. In regions where R > 1 initially despite aggressive epidemic management efforts, we find that if the mitigation measures are sustained, then it is still possible for R to dip below unity when far less than the region’s entire population is affected, and from that point onwards the outbreak can be driven to extinction in time. We call this phenomenon partial herd immunity. Our analysis indicates that COVID-19 is an extremely vicious and unpredictable disease which poses unique challenges for public health authorities, on account of which “case races” among various countries and states do not serve any purpose and present delusive appearances while ignoring significant determinants.

scholarly journals Massive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Testing on Rural Communities in Manabi Province (Ecuador) Reveals Severe COVID-19 Outbreaks

2021 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 1493-1494
Author(s):  
Esteban Ortiz-Prado ◽  
Aquiles R. Henriquez-Trujillo ◽  
Ismar A. Rivera-Olivero ◽  
Byron Freire-Paspuel ◽  
Alexander Paolo Vallejo-Janeta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Coastal Region ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Infrastructure ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTRural communities from Latin America are particularly susceptible to develop serious outbreaks of infectious diseases. Inadequate diagnosis and poor health infrastructure jeopardize proper contact tracing and other actions to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in the region. We herein describe the preliminary data of our ongoing fieldwork of massive testing among nonhospitalized rural population in Manabi Province of the coastal region of Ecuador. A total of 1,479 people from six different rural communities were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR following the CDC protocol; 350 individuals tested positive, resulting in an overall attack rate of 23.7% for SARS-CoV-2 infection. This ultrahigh prevalence must urge to the public health authorities from Ecuador to take immediate actions to counteract this dramatic scenario in Manabi Province and to improve SARS-CoV-2 testing countrywide.

scholarly journals Contact tracing following measles exposure on three international flights, Germany, 2017

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Thole ◽  
Daniela Kalhoefer ◽  
Maria an der Heiden ◽  
Doris Nordmann ◽  
Inka Daniels-Haardt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Data Protection ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Post Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
European Guidelines ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Contact Data ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis

When a person with contagious measles has travelled by aircraft, European guidelines recommend contact tracing of passengers and crew within 5 days of exposure for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and within 12 days of exposure for informing passengers and crew, in order to prevent further transmissions. To be effective, contact tracing requires prompt diagnosis, immediate notification of public health authorities and rapid availability of passenger contact data. We report two events of contact tracing initiated in Germany after two individuals with measles travelled on three international flights. In one event, contact tracing was initiated late because laboratory confirmation of a clinically diagnosed measles case was awaited unnecessarily. Accessing passenger contact data was difficult in both events because of data protection issues with the airline which was not based in Germany. In both events, passengers were not reached in time to provide PEP, and one event resulted in at least two secondary measles cases. As all passengers were reached before the incubation period ended, tertiary cases were most probably prevented. Public health authorities and the transport sector must collaborate to resolve competing legal regulations for infection prevention and data protection, to simplify and accelerate identification of air travellers exposed to communicable diseases.

scholarly journals Działania władz publicznych w zakresie zwalczania pandemii COVID-19 w wybranych krajach europejskich

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-184
Author(s):  
Maciej Furman ◽  
Iwona Kowalska-Bobko ◽  
Christoph Sowada
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Special Section ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Research Material ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities

Activities of public health authorities to combat COVID-19 in selected European countries The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to great changes in the functioning of modern societies, not just in the medical dimension. The percep­tion of the health care system and its employees has also changed. The aim of the article is to analyze the approach of public authorities to combat the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the following countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and Poland. The research material was information available on the website of the European Observatory of Health Systems and Policies (EOHSP) in a special section dedicated to issues related to the prevention of coronavirus pandemic (https://www.covid19healthsystem.org/mainpage.aspx). The obtained results indicate that the crisis situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced all countries to undertake diversified, non-standard efforts, i.e. the use of their own pharmaceutical sector for the production of disinfectants or acceleration of obtaining licenses by medical practition­ers. In terms of financing one of activity was generation of additional funds for healthcare systems that were financially heavily burdened in the pandemic era.

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