Contact tracing: a global perspective and recommendations for the Indian scenario
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20203952Keywords:
Contact tracing, Indian scenario, Technology, AarogyaSetu, ReviewAbstract
We are currently in the midst of a pandemic of SARS-COVID-19 that has spread and increased its reach geometrically in just 3 months. Different countries and states are employing multiple methods to decrease the spread of the virus and decrease its negative impact. The government of India also has taken steps to identify and trace all patients and their contacts. This requires immense input of manpower, finance and technological solutions. Models from India and all over the world act as guides in highlighting the advantages and pitfalls of this method. Models of South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, where intensive contact tracing measures have been implemented have been successful in controlling the pandemic but have created issues of invasion of privacy. Most successful models, in the developing world have sought out to create a multi-disciplinary dedicated contact tracing team of roughly 2-3 contact tracers per 1000 population. It is important to set up a dedicated team for this so that the already stretched ASHA and other community health workers are not overburdened as more responsibilities might lead do decrease in quality. Such a team, which is sensitive to local customs and armed with basics of contact-tracing techniques, need not be highly educated. Technological solutions that keep user privacy as a priority and encourage transparent sharing of methodologies to ensure user privacy must be promoted. Solutions must ensure dissemination of information from trusted sources and self-monitoring of symptoms.
References
Home. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare | GOI. Available at: https://main.mohfw.gov.in/. Accessed May 1, 2020.
MoHFW. Home. Available at: https://www.mohfw. gov.in/ Accessed May 4, 2020.
Surveillance, rapid response teams, and case investigation. Available at: https://www.who.int /emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/surveillance-and-case-definitions .Accessed May 4, 2020.
Murre JMJ, Dros J. Replication and Analysis of Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve. Plos one. 2015;10(7):e0120644.
FIR against officials of private firm in Noida for hiding travel history, exposing others to coronavirus - The Economic Times. Available at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/fir-against-officials-of-private-firm-in-noida-for-hiding-travel-history-exposing-others-to-coronavirus/articleshow/74870419.cms?from=mdr Accessed May 4, 2020.
DehradunApril 14 PT of I, April 14 2020UPDATED:, Ist 2020 21:40. Covid-19: Man booked for hiding travel history. India Today.
Puntambekar V et al. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2020 Sep;7(9):3740-3745
International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health | September 2020 | Vol 7 | Issue 9 Page 3744
Available at: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/ story/covid19-man-booked-for-hiding-travel-history-uttarakhand-1666984-2020-04-14 .Accessed May 4, 2020.
CDC. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published February 11, 2020. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ clinical-guidance-management-patients.html .Accessed April 9, 2020.
COVID-19 National Emergency Response Center, Epidemiology & Case Management Team, Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Contact Transmission of COVID-19 in South Korea: Novel Investigation Techniques for Tracing Contacts. Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2020;11(1):60-3.
Zastrow M. South Korea is reporting intimate details of COVID-19 cases: has it helped? Nature. Published online March 18, 2020.
Show evidence that apps for COVID-19 contact-tracing are secure and effective. Nature. 2020;580(7805):563.
University S. Stanford researchers help develop privacy-focused coronavirus alert app. Stanford News. Published April 9, 2020. Available at: https://news.stanford.edu/2020/04/09/stanford-researchers-help-develop-privacy-focused-coronavirus-alert-app/ .Accessed May 4, 2020.
In Coronavirus Fight, China Gives Citizens a Color Code, With Red Flags - The New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/ 01/business/china-coronavirus-surveillance.html. Accessed May 4, 2020.
Contact tracing at forefront of fight against COVID-19. Ministry of Health NZ. Available at: https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/media-releases/contact-tracing-forefront-fight-against-covid-19. Accessed May 4, 2020.
COVID-19 - current cases. Ministry of Health NZ. Available at: https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-current-situation/covid-19-current-cases.
Verrall DA. Rapid Audit of Contact Tracing for Covid-19 in New Zealand. :16. Accessed May 4, 2020.
Bhilwara District Population Census 2011-2020, Rajasthan literacy sex ratio and density. https://www.census2011.co.in/census/district/447-bhilwara.html. Accessed May 4, 2020.
Explained: The ‘Bhilwara model’ of ‘ruthless containment’ to stop coronavirus. The Indian Express. Published April 11, 2020. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-bhilwara-model-ruthless-containment-stop-coronavirus-6350395/ .Accessed May 4, 2020.
Bhilwara model: How this Rajasthan district brought Covid-19 under control | Business Standard News. Available at: https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/bhilwara-model-how-this-rajasthan-district-brought-covid-19-under-
control-120041000286_1.html. Accessed May 4, 2020.
Microsoft Bing COVID-19 Tracker. Available at: https://www.bing.com/covid?ref=share. Accessed May 4, 2020.
WWW.ETGovernment.com. HP govt develops mobile app to monitor quarantined people - ET Government. ETGovernment.com. Available at: https://government.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/digital-india/hp-govt-develops-mobile-app-to-monitor-quarantined-people/74907032. Accessed May 4, 2020.
Narendra Modi: Coronavirus spread: PM Narendra Modi points to Himachal model for red zone districts - The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/modi-points-to-himachal-model-for-red-zone-dists/articleshow/75436863.cms. Accessed May 4, 2020.
Himachal inches towards becoming Covid-19 free, over 3 lakh await homecoming. Hindustan Times. Published May 1, 2020. https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/himachal-inches-towards-becoming-covid-19-free-over-3-lakh-await-homecoming/story-oFoPih0yOrT0u9gv9AXfXJ.html .Accessed May 4, 2020.
Coronavirus in India: Latest Map and Case Count. https://www.covid19india.org. Accessed May 4, 2020.
Himachal Pradesh left with one COVID-19 active case. The New Indian Express. https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/may/03/himachal-pradesh-left-with-one-covid-19-active-case-2138707.html. Accessed May 4, 2020.
Pulla P. Nipah virus: Anatomy of an outbreak. The Hindu. Available at: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/anatomy-of-an-outbreak-how-kerala-handled-the-nipah-virus-outbreak/article24060538.ece. Published June 2, 2018. Accessed May 2, 2020.
How Kerala’s flowchart model is helping effective coronavirus contact tracing. Deccan Herald. Published March 12, 2020. Available at: https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/how-keralas-flowchart-model-is-helping-effective-coronavirus-contact-tracing-813033.html. Accessed May 4, 2020.
IndiaEmailEmailBioBioFollowFollow NM closeNiha M correspondent covering. Aggressive testing, contact tracing, cooked meals: How the Indian state of Kerala flattened its coronavirus curve. Washington Post. Available at: https://www.washington post.com/world/aggressive-testing-contact-tracing-cooked-meals-how-the-indian-state-of-kerala-flattened-its-coronavirus-curve/2020/04/10/3352e4 70-783e-11ea-a311-adb1344719a9_story.html Accessed May 4, 2020.
Biswas SB Soutik. How India’s Kerala state “flattened the curve.” BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-
Puntambekar V et al. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2020 Sep;7(9):3740-3745
International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health | September 2020 | Vol 7 | Issue 9 Page 3745
Published April 16, 2020. Accessed May 4, 2020.
Coronavirus in India: Latest Map and Case Count. https://www.covid19india.org Accessed May 2, 2020.
Inside the war room to defeat coronavirus. The New Indian Express. Available at: https://www.newindia nexpress.com/cities/vijayawada/2020/apr/05/inside-the-war-room-to-defeat-coronavirus-2126000.html Accessed May 4, 2020.
Disaster management cell turns into virtual war room. https://punemirror.indiatimes.com/pune/cover-story/disaster-mgmt-cell-turns-into-virtual-war-room/articleshow/74719272.cms Accessed May 4, 2020.
A war room, drones, CCTVs — how ‘hotspot’ Agra became Covid-19 model town. Available at: https://theprint.in/india/a-war-room-drones-cctvs-how-hotspot-agra-became-covid-19-model-town/400209/ Accessed May 4, 2020
33. Techies doubling up as volunteers use Swiggy model to reach lakhs of meals to Bengaluru’s labourers - The Economic Times. Available at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/techies-doubling-up-as-volunteers-use-swiggy-model-to-reach-lakhs-of-meals-to-bengalurus-labourers/articleshow/75057610. cms?from=mdr Accessed May 4, 2020.
Fluctuations in fresh coronavirus cases in Delhi due to varied contact tracing, other factors: Experts - The Economic Times. Available at: https://economicti mes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/healthcare/fluctuations-in-fresh-coronavirus-cases-in-delhi-due-to-varied-contact-tracing-other-factorsexperts/articleshow/75180113.cms?from=mdr Accessed May 4, 2020.
K NP. COVID-19: Number of infected on the rise, but are their contacts being traced? |. Citizen Matters. Published March 28, 2020. Available at: https://citizenmatters.in/covid-19-contact-tracing-in-kerala-karnataka-maharashtra-punjab-himachal-madhya-pradesh-16835 Accessed May 4, 2020.
Mumbai: In civic ward with second-highest COVID-19 cases, containment protocol an uphill task | Cities News, The Indian Express. Available at: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/mumbai-in-civic-ward-with-second-highest-covid-19-cases-containment-protocol-an-uphill-task-6359422/ Accessed May 4, 2020.
Covid-19: In Mumbai slum, civic officials face challenges in way of contact tracing. MSN. https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/covid-19-in-mumbai-slum-civic-officials-face-challenges-in-way-of-contact-tracing/ar-BB11tFbd Accessed May 4, 2020.
Mumbai civic body finds 35% coronavirus patients through ‘contact tracing’ - mumbai news - Hindustan Times. https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbai-civic-body-finds-35-coronavirus-
patients-through-contact-tracing/story-uH94ShlYR04CXr6Y6sHoXK.html Accessed May 4, 2020.
Coronavirus pandemic: What is the Himachal model, and how is it different from Kerala and Bhilwara models? cnbctv18.com. https://www.cnbctv18.com/healthcare/coronavirus-pandemic-what-is-the-himachal-model-and-how-is-it-different-from-kerala-and-bhilwara-models-5801871.htm Accessed May 4, 2020.
Massachusetts recruits 1,000 “contact tracers” to battle COVID-19. FierceBiotech. Accessed May 4, 2020. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/massachusetts-recruits-1-000-contact-tracers-to-battle-covid-19
Iceland employs detective work, testing and quarantine in coronavirus fight. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iceland-employs-detective-work-testing-quarantine-coronavirus-fight-n1170166. Accessed May 4, 2020.
WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/who-china-joint-mission-on-coronavirus-disease-2019-(covid-19) Accessed May 4, 2020.
Policy and Guidelines | National Health Systems Resource Centre, MoHFW, Government of India. http://nhsrcindia.org/category-detail/policy-and-guidelines/ODY= Accessed May 4, 2020.
Orders & Guidelines : National Health Mission. https://nhm.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=2&sublinkid=179&lid=253. Accessed May 4, 2020.
Olbrechts A. Guidelines 04/2020 on the use of location data and contact tracing tools in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. European Data Protection Board - European Data Protection Board. Published April 22, 2020. https://edpb.europa.eu/our-work-tools/our-documents/guidelines/guidelines-042020-use-location-data-and-contact-tracing_en Accessed May 4, 2020.
Dudden A, Marks A. South Korea took rapid, intrusive measures against Covid-19 – and they worked | Alexis Dudden and Andrew Marks. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/20/south-korea-rapid-intrusive-measures-covid-19. Published March 20, 2020. Accessed May 4, 2020.
With training and incentive, ASHAs can help address lifestyle diseases: Study. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/health/with-training-and-incentive-ashas-can-help-address-lifestyle-diseases-study-67513. Accessed May 4, 2020.
Five paradoxes of Indian Healthcare - The Economic Times. Available at: https://economictimes. indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/healthcare/five-paradoxes-of-indian-healthcare/articleshow/ 65159929.cms?from=mdr Accessed May 4, 2020.