Governments worldwide have implemented test, trace, and isolate strategies to separate people infected with COVID-19 and reduce the transmission. However, the adherence to this model and its effectiveness is not well-studied. This study aims to determine the rates of adhering to the UK’s test, trace, and isolate model.
This series of cross-sectional online surveys included 37 nationally representative surveys in the UK, which comprises a total of 74, 697 respondents aged 16 years and older. The primary endpoint of the study was the identification of the main symptoms of COVID-19 and self-reported adherence to self-isolation.
The findings suggested that only 51.1% of the patients included in the survey identified the main symptoms of COVID-19 – fever, cough, and loss of smell or taste. The duration-adjusted adherence to self-isolation to all waves was 42.5%, which increased to 51.8% in the most recent wave. Requesting for tests across all waves was 18% and increased to 22.2% in the most recent wave. The intention to share details of close contacts across all waves was 79.1%, which increased to 81.9% in the most recent wave.
The research concluded that while adherence to test, trace, and isolate systems have been slightly low in the UK, improvements have been witnessed in the recent waves.
Ref: https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n608
