COVID-19: cross-border contact tracing in Germany, February to April 2020

Markus, Inessa; Steffen, Gyde; Lachmann, Raskit; Marquis, Adine; Schneider, Timm; Tomczyk, Sara; Koppe, Uwe; Rohde, Anna M.; Schink, Susanne; Seifried, Janna; Domaszewska, Teresa; Rexroth, Ute; Heiden, Maria an der

doi:10.2807/1560-7917.es.2021.26.10.2001236

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 19 publications

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“…As the national public health institute in Germany, the RKI distributes information between foreign countries and German public health authorities (PHA). For cross-border contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the RKI set up a specific international communication and contact tracing team (RKI IC-Team) [ 27 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attack Rate for Wild-Type SARS-CoV-2 during Air Travel: Results from 46 Flights Traced by German Health Authorities, January–March and June–August 2020

Moek

Rohde

Schöll

et al. 2022

Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiolog

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Background. Evidence on the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission during air travel is scarce. We aimed to estimate the attack rate for wild-type SARS-CoV-2 to improve the evidence base for the adaptation of nonpharmaceutical intervention (NPI) strategies aboard airplanes. Methods. In collaboration with German Public Health Authorities (PHA), we conducted a follow-up of in-flight SARS-CoV-2 contact persons. We included those contact persons whom the Emergency Operations Centre at the Robert Koch-Institute had forwarded to PHA between January to March 2020 (before masking on flights became mandatory) and June to August 2020 (after the introduction of mandatory masking). We retrospectively collected data on whether these contact persons had been successfully contacted, had become symptomatic and had been tested for SARS-CoV-2, and whether alternative exposures other than the flight were known. Results. Complete data that allowed for the calculation of attack rates were available for 108 contact persons (median age of 36 (IQR 24–53), 40% female), traveling on 46 flights with a median flight duration of 3 hours (IQR 2–3.5). 62 of these persons travelled after masking on flights became mandatory. 13/87 developed symptoms, 44/77 were tested (no data for 21 and 31). 13 persons (9 of whom had been SARS-CoV-2 positive) were excluded from the analysis of attack rates due to a likely alternative exposure. We thus identified 4 probable in-flight transmissions (2 of which occurred after the introduction of mandatory masking). The overall attack rate resulted in 4.2% (4/95; 95% CI: 1.4%–11.0%). Considering flights after mandatory masking, the attack rate was 3.6% (2/56, 95% CI 0.6%–13.4%), before masking 5.1% (2/39, 95% CI 0.9%–18.6%). Conclusions. The risk of wild-type SARS-CoV-2 transmission during air travel seemed low, but not negligible. In order to formulate an effective, evidence-based NPI protocol for air travel, further studies considering the different transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and vaccination status are needed.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attack Rate for Wild-Type SARS-CoV-2 during Air Travel: Results from 46 Flights Traced by German Health Authorities, January–March and June–August 2020

Moek

Rohde

Schöll

et al. 2022

Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiolog

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Towards Collaborative Security Approaches Based on the European Digital Sovereignty Ecosystem

Ibrahim

Dimitrakos

2023

Collaborative Approaches for Cyber Security in Cyber-Physical Systems

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Essential public health functions are not enough: fostering linkages between functions through National Public Health Institutes improves public health impact

Zuber¹,

Pearson²,

Sebeh³

et al. 2023

BMJ Glob Health

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COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of essential public health functions (EPHFs) and the coordination between them. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines EPHFs as ‘the public health activities that all communities should undertake’. According to multiple functional frameworks published in literature, the functions typically include workforce development, surveillance, public health research, laboratory services, health promotion, outbreak response and emergency management. National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) are often the lead government agency responsible for execution of these functions.This paper describes how NPHIs or other health authorities can improve public health impact by enhancing the coordination of public health functions and public health actors through functional and organisational linkages. We define public health linkages as practical, replicable activities that facilitate collaboration between public health functions or organisations to improve public health. In this paper, we propose a novel typology to categorise important public health linkages and describe enablers of linkages identified through our research.Based on our research, investments in health systems should move beyond vertical approaches to developing public health capacity and place greater emphasis on strengthening the interactions between public health functions and institutions. Development of linkages and their enablers require a purposeful, proactive focus that establishes and strengthens linkages over time and cannot be developed during an outbreak or other public health emergency.

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COVID-19: cross-border contact tracing in Germany, February to April 2020

Cited by 4 publications

References 19 publications

Attack Rate for Wild-Type SARS-CoV-2 during Air Travel: Results from 46 Flights Traced by German Health Authorities, January–March and June–August 2020

Attack Rate for Wild-Type SARS-CoV-2 during Air Travel: Results from 46 Flights Traced by German Health Authorities, January–March and June–August 2020

Towards Collaborative Security Approaches Based on the European Digital Sovereignty Ecosystem

Essential public health functions are not enough: fostering linkages between functions through National Public Health Institutes improves public health impact

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