COVID-19 Contact tracing: country experiences and way forward - ISS-G20 Laboratorium Repository

Contact tracing has been a cornerstone of countries’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it remains a key strategy for interrupting chains of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and reducing COVID-19-associated morbidity and mortality. Although the pandemic is not over, many countries are transitioning towards a more sustainable and integrated approach to the COVID-19 response. Contact tracing systems are adjusting and need to be adapted further to reflect this change in the long term.

This meeting on COVID-19 Contact Tracing jointly organized by WHO/Europe and ECDC was held online on 1 March 2022. The meeting brought together COVID-19 Contact Tracing experts from 39 countries and territories from the WHO European Region, including 24 European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA) countries. The full list of participating countries is in annex 1.

The meeting focused on two key topics: (i) experiences, challenges and solutions related to COVID-19 contact tracing, and (ii) how contact tracing can be better integrated in health systems strengthening and pandemic preparedness planning moving forward. Two breakout sessions were organised to allow all countries the opportunity to actively engage in discussions related to topics above.

Reflections on contact tracing

In the first part of the meeting, discussions about the challenges related to COVID-19 contact tracing highlighted substantial diversity in contact tracing strategies across European countries including a variety of approaches to promoting public cooperation and ensuring adherence to isolation and quarantine. Despite the diversity in contact tracing strategies, similar challenges were observed among countries, including difficulties around workforce recruitment and training; sustainable financing; timeliness in reaching cases/contacts, adjusting contact tracing operations according to the epidemiological situation; issues around digitalization and risk communication and community engagement. The need to collect high-quality data to inform COVID-19 policy decisions was also emphasised. At the time of the meeting, most countries had reduced the duration of isolation and quarantine and amended their contact tracing protocols as a consequence of the emerging evidence on the epidemiological characteristics of the Omicron variant, underlining the need for flexible, adaptive contact tracing systems.

Future use of contact tracing

The second part of the meeting addressed the future use of contact tracing, both in relation to COVID-19 and as an integral part of health systems strengthening and future pandemic preparedness planning. Participants stressed that it will be challenging to maintain human and financial resources for manual contact tracing, hence alternative solutions were being actively explored. Rather than relying on extensive contact tracing over the coming months, alternative solutions were being considered such as the need to promote and enhance education campaigns, self-testing and digital systems while concentrating manual contact tracing efforts on vulnerable groups or high-risk settings such as long-term care homes. At the same time, it was acknowledged that established contact tracing systems should remain ready for reactivation and rapid scaling-up should the need arise, and that ensuring proper risk communication and community engagement should be a priority.

Conclusion

COVID-19 contact tracing strategies and practices have evolved during the pandemic, adjusting to the constantly changing epidemiological situation, the emergence of new variants and the rollout of vaccines along with the naturally acquired immunity.

At the time of the meeting, a general tendency towards downsizing of contact tracing activities was in progress based on an improved situation in the COVID-19 pandemic. During the meeting, there was broad agreement that established systems and competencies related to contact tracing should be maintained and be ready for rapid reactivation, should the epidemiological situation require so. Furthermore, most participants anticipated that countries will need to maintain focus on contact tracing among vulnerable groups and in high-risk settings in the coming period and rely more on informing and educating the general public rather than reinforcing restrictive COVID-19 response measures.

Entire content available on: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/covid-19-contact-tracing-country-experiences-and-way-forward