Quantifying population contact patterns in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 893
• Main Authors: Feehan, Dennis M., Mahmud, Ayesha S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 09.02.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/114/2397; 631/326/596/4130; 692/699/255/2514; 692/700/478/174; Age Factors; Calibration; Contact Tracing; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - transmission; Disease control; Disease transmission; Family Characteristics; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; multidisciplinary; Pandemics; Policies; SARS-CoV-2 - physiology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States > US
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-20990-2

SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted primarily through close, person-to-person interactions. Physical distancing policies can control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by reducing the amount of these interactions in a population. Here, we report results from four waves of contact surveys designed to quantify the impact of these policies during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. We surveyed 9,743 respondents between March 22 and September 26, 2020. We find that interpersonal contact has been dramatically reduced in the US, with an 82% (95%CI: 80%–83%) reduction in the average number of daily contacts observed during the first wave compared to pre-pandemic levels. However, we find increases in contact rates over the subsequent waves. We also find that certain demographic groups, including people under 45 and males, have significantly higher contact rates than the rest of the population. Tracking these changes can provide rapid assessments of the impact of physical distancing policies and help to identify at-risk populations. Physical distancing measures have been widely adopted to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This study quantifies changes in interpersonal contact patterns in the US and finds an 82% reduction in contacts during early lockdowns in March and steady increases thereafter.