Open AccessFive approaches to the suppression of SARS-CoV-2 without intensive social distancing
Author(s) -
John M. Drake,
Kyle Dahlin,
Pejman Rohani,
Andreas Handel
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings - royal society. biological sciences/proceedings - royal society. biological sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.342
H-Index - 253
eISSN - 1471-2954
pISSN - 0962-8452
DOI - 10.1098/rspb.2020.3074
Subject(s) - social distance , psychological intervention , contact tracing , certification , transmission (telecommunications) , hygiene , covid-19 , personal protective equipment , quarantine , face masks , psychology , environmental health , medicine , computer science , political science , nursing , infectious disease (medical specialty) , telecommunications , disease , pathology , law
Initial efforts to mitigate transmission of SARS-CoV-2 relied on intensive social distancing measures such as school and workplace closures, shelter-in-place orders and prohibitions on the gathering of people. Other non-pharmaceutical interventions for suppressing transmission include active case finding, contact tracing, quarantine, immunity or health certification, and a wide range of personal protective measures. Here we investigate the potential effectiveness of these alternative approaches to suppression. We introduce a conceptual framework represented by two mathematical models that differ in strategy. We find both strategies may be effective, although both require extensive testing and work within a relatively narrow range of conditions. Generalized protective measures such as wearing face masks, improved hygiene and local reductions in density are found to significantly increase the effectiveness of targeted interventions.