An analytical framework for Test, Trace and Isolate in the UK: optimising and targeting deployment alongside other measures.
Lead Research Organisation:
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Department Name: Public Health and Policy
Abstract
We will develop a robust analytical framework to guide decisions about the deployment of Test, Trace and Isolate (TTI) to control the SARS CoV2 epidemic over the next 12 months. As the UK eases lockdown and workplaces, leisure venues and schools re-open, refining and targeting TTI is necessary to prevent the return of rapid exponential epidemic growth. This will require quick feedback, assessment and integration with real-time epidemiological, behavioural and operational data. We will develop mathematical models of SARS CoV2 transmission and TTI processes, to assess how TTI could be most effectively refined and targeted in association with other control measures, and to develop metrics to assess TTI performance. We will consider how both the design of the TTI system and environmental factors affect people's behaviour. We will respond to emerging questions but currently prioritise: 1) optimal combinations of TTI, screening and physical distancing measures, both to reduce transmission and to protect vulnerable groups; 2) appraisal of the role of behavioural responses to take up and adhere to TTI policies, including trade-offs and the consequences for how policies are supported; 3) signals to initiate stepped up intervention intensity; 4) assessment of our understanding of transmission patterns.
Technical Summary
We will develop a robust analytical framework to guide decisions about the deployment of Test, Trace and Isolate (TTI) to control the UK SARS CoV2 epidemic over the next 12 months. This framework will be underpinned by branching process models of SARS CoV2 transmission and contact tracing, which are flexible enough to capture factors like households and clusters while being mathematically transparent enough to allow for direct calibration to data and quantification of uncertainty in predictions. We will provide evidence to inform key decisions about optimal combinations of tracing, screening and distancing measures. The inclusion of detailed network structure, settings and heterogeneity in contact patterns enables us to address issues such as: the role of uptake and adherence to TTI; the impact of TTI on transmission; signals to initiate stepped up intervention intensity; and assessment of the consistency of observed contact tracing data with epidemiological hypotheses. The research will take a socio-technical approach, recognizing that to ensure robust decision-support outputs from mathematical models must be situated within an understanding of human behaviour, and that both the technology and the environment in which it is deployed will influence the results obtained. The framework will be informed throughout by a contextual understanding obtained from key stakeholders, including members of the public who test positive, members of the public who are listed as contacts and asked to self-isolate (who do not necessarily test
positive) and people working within the TTI and outbreak teams.
positive) and people working within the TTI and outbreak teams.
Publications
Adler H
(2022)
Clinical features and management of human monkeypox: a retrospective observational study in the UK
in The Lancet Infectious Diseases
Davis EL
(2021)
Contact tracing is an imperfect tool for controlling COVID-19 transmission and relies on population adherence.
in Nature communications
Fearon E
(2021)
On the use of LFA tests in contact tracing: preliminary findings
Fearon E
(2021)
SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing: weighing the false positives against the costs of failing to control transmission.
in The Lancet. Respiratory medicine
Fyles M
(2021)
Using a household-structured branching process to analyse contact tracing in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences
Iem V
(2022)
Pooling sputum for Xpert MTB/RIF and Xpert Ultra testing during the Covid-19 pandemic in Lao People's Democratic Republic
in PLOS Global Public Health
| Description | The work undertaken suring this grant provided real-time support to answering questions about the design and deployment of testing, contact tracing and isolation and quarantine (TTI) strategies for the control of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the UK from 2020 to 2021. Key findings included that: *Contact tracing for COVID-19 must be done at speed (even more so with short generation-time variants) and at a high level of tracing performance and isolation adherence if it is to reduce epidemic growth *Daily testing using lateral flow devices among contacts of cases could be effective in lieu of asking cnotacts to quarantine for 10 days *Repeat testing using lateral flow devices and subsequent isolation might help to reduce the impact of a COVID-19 wave, even on top of testing and isolation performed by people with symptoms *Engagement with members of the public should inform the epidemiological modelling of TTI interventions |
| Exploitation Route | We have several publications documenting our findings, have given invited talks to different researcher, civil servant and public health audiences and have collaborated with journalists to help reach the general public in explaining our findings. We have made our code, primary data and modeling tools public and have presented these to bodies who might go on to use and adapt them in for the ongoing response to COVID-19 and also in response to new emerging epidemics. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Transport |
| Description | The aim of this project was to provide rapid advice to policymakers regarding the use of testing, contact tracing and and isolation (TTI) interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. As such we concentrated on tackling key questions as they emerged and communicating evidence primarily via reports to weekly and biweekly scientific advisory group meetings, particularly SPI-M-O, which fed into SAGE. We also provided ad hoc advice to other government departments and NHS Test and Trace as this was put to us. While we cannot say with certainty exactly how the evidence that we, and other researchers provided was weighed by decision-makers, we believe it contributed to policy around the requirements for contact tracing, reducing the length of contact quarantine, travel related testing and quarantine measures and the decision to empirically test policies to replace contact quarantine with daily lateral flow testing (later shown to be non-inferior in a population-based RCT, consistent with modelling that we and others had done). These policies all grapple with effectively reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 while trying to minimise social, economic and harms to well-being of the population. We have engaged with UKHSA, civil servants, academic researchers and members of the public to formulate key learning and questions going forward as to how TTI might be best used and supported during future pandemics, and to document and disseminate tools that we have developed, and to consider the methodology of future pandemic rapid response modelling research. We are currently engaged in evidence review work of the impact of TTI on transmission reductions of SARS-CoV-2 that is separately funded but came out of work during this rapid response COVID-19 grant. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Healthcare,Transport |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | Participation and contributions to SPI-M-O, modelling SAGE sub-committee, on control of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies sub-committee on modelling), October 2020 - present |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Modelling evidence presented to SPI-M-O influences government policy via SAGE, and via direct interactions and influence on other bodies including NHS Test and Trace, COVID-19 civil service Task Force and the Department for Transport. The topics reflect both commissions from organisations such as NHS Test and Trace, and self-initiated topics. This advice contributes to improved epidemic control of SARS CoV-2 and COVID-19 in the United Kingdom, reducing morbidity and mortality associated with the disease and other health, social and economic harms that have resulted from the epidemic. While we can see where the provision of our evidence and decisions taken align in time, it is difficult for our project to attribute influence directly as we are engaged with the provision of scientific evidence rather than the whole decision-making process. |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronaviru... |
| Description | Presentation of paper on daily testing among contacts of SARS-CoV-2 cases to the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies Meeting 68, Nov 16, 2020 |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Our Test, Trace and Isolating modelling project responded to a commission to consider a specific testing and contact tracing strategy in which contacts of a SARS-CoV-2 case test daily with rapid tests (lateral flow assay tests) in lieu of quarantining (with case isolation as per standard policy). Our modelling analysis, which contributed findings that considered the separate contact patterns and processes of within and outside housheold contacts, found that such a strategy could be as or more effective than the existign policy, prompting its consideration for further pilot testing. Our preliminary analysis has been published as part of SAGE papers: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950771/s0897-testing-of-traced-contacts.pdf |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sage-68-minutes-coronavirus-covid-19-response-16-november... |
| Description | Presentation of paper on quarantine and testing strategies for travellers returning from abroad for control of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in the UK to the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies Meeting 71, Dec 3, 2020 (2020) |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | We presented a modelling paper to SAGE meeting no 71 on quarantine and testing strategies for international arrivals returning to household in the United Kingdom to reduce the number of SARS-CoV-2 cases that might arise from infected travellers. Our model considered the fact that in the UK at the time, returning travellers could be returning to households where household members were not under quarantine. We found simulated epidemics initiated by returning travellers were potentially larger when daily lateral flow testing policies were used in lieu of either a 14 day or 5 day + PCR test-to-release quaratine strategy. We cannot attribute specific policy decisions to this modelling work, but subsequent decisions were in alignment with our findings. Benefits to public health, societal well-being and the economy are realised via improved control of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sage-71-minutes-coronavirus-covid-19-response-3-december-... |
| Description | Review of Department for Transport international arrivals SARS-CoV-2 testing policy model |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | In late Novermber, early december 2021, concern about the SARS-C0V-2 Omicron variant originating in South Africa meant that the UK government was making decisions about what testing and/or quarantine policies inetrnational arrivals would be subject to in order to limit/delay the establishment of the variant in the UK. At the time there was serious concern as to the effects on increases in cases, and unknown unmpacts on hospital adminssions and deaths. Our review, arranged via the SPI-M (Civil Service secretariat) helped to increase confidence in the findings of the epidemiological model that was being used to support decision-making. |
| Description | A systematic evidence review to investigate whether test, trace, isolate and diagnostics reduced the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 |
| Amount | £15,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | The Royal Society |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2023 |
| End | 02/2023 |
| Title | Adaptation to Covasim for investigating testing, contact tracing and isolaiton strategies |
| Description | We adapted a verison of an open source agent based model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to investigate in detail the impact of different TTI policies and their costs in terms of days spent in isolaiton. |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | We have published a preprint and submitted an article using the model to explore TTI policies in the UK, and presented findings at academic and public health health agency workshops. |
| URL | https://github.com/migueleps/RegularAsymptomaticTesting |
| Title | Household structured branching process model of SARS-CoV-2 infection and contact tracing |
| Description | Through the course of our Test, Trace and Isolate (TTI) modelling project we have documented and made further developments to our household-structured branching process model of SARS-CoV-2 infection and contact tracing. The model |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This model and adaptations to it has been used in research to provide advice to the UK government on TTI strategies and effectiveness for control of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, including research sent to SPI-M, SAGE and in advice given to NHS Test and Trace. |
| URL | https://github.com/martyn1fyles/HouseholdContactTracing |
| Title | Interview summary data supporting "Public involvement in pandemic modelling: a qualitative study of Test, Trace and Isolate practices in the UK and implications for modelling" |
| Description | These are transcripts of interviews with 20 members of the UK public, in June-July 2021. The topics covered include attitudes to Test, Trace and Isolate, the costs and barriers for these behaviours, and the perceived impact of vaccines on testing behaviours. The interviews cover public perception of Lateral Flow Devices, PCR testing, and trust in the NHS Test and Trace App. Participants were recruited via this webpage: https://github.com/test-trace-isolate-interviews/public-recruitment The topic guide, which was used in these semi-structured interviews, is "Topic guide 1_0 Public.docx". |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The data was used to engaged a group of modellers advising the UK givernment on TTI strategies. A preprint has been published and the paper is under review: https://f1000research.com/articles/11-1005 |
| URL | https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Interview_summary_data_supporting_Public_involvement_in_pandem... |
| Title | Model of SARS-CoV-2 infection and contact tracing: code for investigating trade-offs between quarantine periods, uptake of testing and adherence to isolation and quarantine |
| Description | This mathematical model has been adapted from that of a previous project to investigate Test, Trace and Isolate (TTI) strategies for SARS CoV-2 epidemic control in the United Kingdom. It uses a population-based branching process of infections and contact tracing to simulate epidemics and estimate the effect of TTI on the probability of a large SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. This model has been utilised throughout this project for research and advice on SARS CoV-2 epidemic control. One application of the model was to investigate trade-offs between quarantine periods, uptake of testing and adherence to isolation and quarantine, documented here. A fuller descripiton of the model is given here: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.08.20.20178558v1. |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The findings of research using this model have been presented to SPI-M, the modelling sub-committee of the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies since October 2020. The specific analsyes documented here were presented November 11, 2020. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/937444/S0877_SAGE67_201111_SPI-M-O_Consensus_Statement.pdf |
| URL | https://github.com/timcdlucas/ringbp/releases/tag/sevenday1.0 |
| Description | Evidence for symptom phenotypes of COVID-19 among community based cases across several large studies |
| Organisation | Evergreen Life Group |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Our team conceived and led the project, designed the main analysis and developed analysis code, which we shared for partners to adapt. |
| Collaborator Contribution | We have been working with researchers from each partner organisation. We have met regularly and jointly discussed and agreed analysis and write-ups of findings. In some cases, they have conducted analsyes on their own data and in some cases we have run analyses directly. |
| Impact | In 2020 and early 2021 we sent two reports to SPI-M, the modelling sub-committee of the UK's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. We completed a first manuscript draft, and made this and sample code available as a preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.05728 In eary 2022 we agreed to continue the collaboration with UKHSA to assess the extent to which symptom phenotypes might have changed with the Omicron variant, and more generally over calendar time. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Evidence for symptom phenotypes of COVID-19 among community based cases across several large studies |
| Organisation | King's College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Our team conceived and led the project, designed the main analysis and developed analysis code, which we shared for partners to adapt. |
| Collaborator Contribution | We have been working with researchers from each partner organisation. We have met regularly and jointly discussed and agreed analysis and write-ups of findings. In some cases, they have conducted analsyes on their own data and in some cases we have run analyses directly. |
| Impact | In 2020 and early 2021 we sent two reports to SPI-M, the modelling sub-committee of the UK's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. We completed a first manuscript draft, and made this and sample code available as a preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.05728 In eary 2022 we agreed to continue the collaboration with UKHSA to assess the extent to which symptom phenotypes might have changed with the Omicron variant, and more generally over calendar time. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Evidence for symptom phenotypes of COVID-19 among community based cases across several large studies |
| Organisation | Office for National Statistics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Our team conceived and led the project, designed the main analysis and developed analysis code, which we shared for partners to adapt. |
| Collaborator Contribution | We have been working with researchers from each partner organisation. We have met regularly and jointly discussed and agreed analysis and write-ups of findings. In some cases, they have conducted analsyes on their own data and in some cases we have run analyses directly. |
| Impact | In 2020 and early 2021 we sent two reports to SPI-M, the modelling sub-committee of the UK's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. We completed a first manuscript draft, and made this and sample code available as a preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.05728 In eary 2022 we agreed to continue the collaboration with UKHSA to assess the extent to which symptom phenotypes might have changed with the Omicron variant, and more generally over calendar time. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Evidence for symptom phenotypes of COVID-19 among community based cases across several large studies |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Department | Nuffield Department of Population Health |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Our team conceived and led the project, designed the main analysis and developed analysis code, which we shared for partners to adapt. |
| Collaborator Contribution | We have been working with researchers from each partner organisation. We have met regularly and jointly discussed and agreed analysis and write-ups of findings. In some cases, they have conducted analsyes on their own data and in some cases we have run analyses directly. |
| Impact | In 2020 and early 2021 we sent two reports to SPI-M, the modelling sub-committee of the UK's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. We completed a first manuscript draft, and made this and sample code available as a preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.05728 In eary 2022 we agreed to continue the collaboration with UKHSA to assess the extent to which symptom phenotypes might have changed with the Omicron variant, and more generally over calendar time. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Title | Household branching process testing contact model |
| Description | A household branching process contact model to explore testing and contact tracing approaches for control of infectious disease, developed for assessing policies in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. The model was orginally developed by infectious disease modellers and then refactored by research software engineers to enhance usability. The model is written in Python, and freely available. |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | The model was used to provide government advice as to testing and contact tracing strategies and inetrnational arrivals testing strategies in 2020 and 2021 for COVID-19 control in the UK. |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/record/5139630#.YijKIN-nzz8 |
| Description | Advisory panel with public health stakeholders |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In order to ensure that our modelling of the Test, Trace and Isolate policies for SARS-CoV-2 control in the UK is responding to the primary concerns of stakeholders and reflects key aspects fo the process, we have established an advisory panel of public health professionals. These discussions have fed into our project's considerations of what strategies might improve TTI and would merit further investigation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| Description | Asymptomatic Testing and COVID-19: A Retrospective Assessment and Lessons Learned |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I presented our findings as to the potential role of asymptomatic testing and isolation on control of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to a mostly researcher audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://gateway.newton.ac.uk/event/tgm123 |
| Description | Collaboration with Plus Magazine for an article about lateral flow testing for SARS-CoV-2 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Our project collaborated with Plus Magazine, a popular science mathematics publication,on an article about the use of lateral flow testing for SARS-CoV-2 for pandemic control. Plus aims to highlight recent news stories with mathematical underpinnings to a non-expert audience, including to schools, students and teachers. We were interviewed by Plus journalists who then produced a draft which we co-edited and approved. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://plus.maths.org/content/going-flow-are-lateral-flow-tests-useful |
| Description | Conference poster presentation at EPIDEMICS 8 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation: Diversity of symptom phenotypes in SARS-CoV-2 infections observed in multiple large datasets, Das R et al, 2021. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.elsevier.com/events/conferences/international-conference-on-infectious-disease-dynamics |
| Description | Conference poster presentation at EPIDEMICS 8 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation: Considering household structure to improve the effectiveness of testing, tracing and isolation interventions (TTI) interventions in the control of SARS-CoV-2 epidemics |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.elsevier.com/events/conferences/international-conference-on-infectious-disease-dynamics |
| Description | Input into the Events Research Programme |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Our project provided advice about COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, based on our research, that was relevant to the design of the Events Research Programme convened by government (DHSC, DCMS, BEIS). The ERP aimed to determine how events might be more safely re-established following restrictions in early 2021. We provided advice as part of a consultation with modellers from SPI-M-O, the modelling subcommittee of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). This involved the preparation of a document following discussions, which was then presented ot the ERP Board and discussed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Interviewed by journalist about COVID-19 testing strategies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | We spoke to a journalist from the Financial Times about lateral flow testing for SARS CoV-2 for an article published in December 2021. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.ft.com/content/cbd0fb0a-8c41-4b9b-aa4c-0afa10619383 |
| Description | Invited conference symposium presentation about the incorporation of household structure into modelling of test, trace and isolate policies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Our project PI was invited to speak at a symposium at the British Applied Mathematics Colloquium 2021 about the role of households in the dynamics of SARS CoV-2 transmission, testing and contact tracing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://sites.google.com/view/bmcbamc2021/abstracts/abstracts-minisymposium |
| Description | Invited talk on modelling of test, trace and isolate strategies in the UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We were invited to present at a JUNIPER Consortium (Joint UNIversities Pandemic and Epidemiological Research group) seminar (24/11/2021) about our work on modelling asymptomatic and symptomatic testing strategies for control of COVID-19 over the Winter 2021/22 period, and about work on inferring the relationship between viral load and transmissability. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Oral presentation at EPIDEMICS 8 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Oral conference presentation: Inferring the relaitonship between viral load and infectiousness using contact tracing data. Fyles M et al. 2021. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Presentation to UKHSA on testing and contact tracing mathematical models |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I presented to a UKHSA initiative and took part in a workshop to review what tools existed for assessing the impact of test, trace and isolate interventions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation to the Office for National Statistics COVID-19 Infection Survey working group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Members of our project were invited to present at the ONS Covid Infection Survey working group seminar series about our work on discerning Covid-19 symptom phenotypes among cases in the community (21 February, 2022). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation to the Office for National Statistics Research Accreditation Panel meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Members of our projected presented to the Office for National Statistics Research Accreditation Panel meeting (Dec 8, 2021) about our use of the ONS Secure Research Service in conducting rapid response research to provide UK government advice during the COVID-19 pandemic. As well as giving examples of the work done, we were able to feedback on what worked well and what challenges were experienced in providing this kind of emergency response work, so that structures and procedures might be improved upon in future. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Talk on Test, Trace and Isolate methods for Virtual Forum for Knowledge Exchange in the Mathematical Sciences Covid-19 Safety for Large Events study programme |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We gave a presentation on COVID-19 testing and contact tracing considerations in relation to holding large events (July 2021) for a Virtual Forum for Knowledge Exchange in the Mathematical Sciences Covid-19 Safety for Large Events study programme. The study programme aimed to engage mathematicians with events convenors (large indoor and outdoor events, arts and sports) to help develop strategies to more safely hold events during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://ktn-uk.org/news/covid-19-safety-in-large-events-using-mathematical-sciences/ |
| Description | Workshop on Test, Trace and Isolate learnings and future recommendations |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We organised a vitrual afternoon workshop on Test, trace and isolate: learnings from the past 18 months, considerations for Winter 2021/22 and a framework for considering recommendations for future pandemics. The workshop was organised in conjunction with the JUNIPER consortium providing research to guide the UK pandemic response, and the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS). The workshop, for which we had an applicaiton process, had approximately 15-20 speakers and attendees from: academic research, including those involved in providing pandemic response advice to the govenrment; UKHSA; the UK government's civil service Covid Task Force; and postgraduate students. A write-up of the workshop is in progress, assisted with funding from ICMS. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.icms.org.uk/events/2021/test-trace-and-isolate-epidemic-control-lessons-learnt-covid-19-... |
| Description | Workshop with epidemic modellers to assess the implications of findings from interviews with members of the public about their engagement with TTI interventions in the UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We conducted inetrviews with members of the public in England in summer 2021 about their perceptions of and inetractions with COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and isolaiton (TTI) policies during the pandemic. We thematically analysed the findings and presented them to a workshop of infectious disease modellers who had been engaged with researching and providing evidence to UK the government (primarily via SPI-M, modelling SAGE sub-committee both project memebrs and non-project members), about COVID-19 testing and contact tracing policies. We then facilitated a discussion about what these findings meant for the assumptions made in mathematical models, and how/whether different types of models might be required for answering various quesitons about TTI policies. We then co-edited a paper presenting findings and summarising these discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.31.22269871v1 |