Robert Koch Institute, Unit for Surveillance, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Berlin, Germany.
Robert Koch Institute, Postgraduate Training for Applied Epidemiology (PAE), Berlin, Germany.
Euro Surveill. 2021 Mar;26(10). doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.10.2001236.
IntroductionThe Robert Koch Institute (RKI) managed the exchange of cross-border contact tracing data between public health authorities (PHA) in Germany and abroad during the early COVID-19 pandemic.AimWe describe the extent of cross-border contact tracing and its challenges.MethodsWe analysed cross-border COVID-19 contact tracing events from 3 February to 5 April 2020 using information exchanged through the European Early Warning Response System and communication with International Health Regulation national focal points. We described events by PHA, number of contacts and exposure context.ResultsThe RKI processed 467 events, initiating contact to PHA 1,099 times (median = 1; interquartile range (IQR): 1-2) and sharing data on 5,099 contact persons. Of 327 (70%) events with known exposure context, the most commonly reported exposures were aircraft (n = 64; 20%), cruise ships (n = 24; 7%) and non-transport contexts (n = 210; 64%). Cruise ship and aircraft exposures generated more contacts with authorities (median = 10; IQR: 2-16, median = 4; IQR: 2-11) and more contact persons (median = 60; IQR: 9-269, median = 2; IQR: 1-3) than non-transport exposures (median = 1; IQR: 1-6 and median = 1; IQR: 1-2). The median time spent on contact tracing was highest for cruise ships: 5 days (IQR: 3-9).ConclusionIn the COVID-19 pandemic, cross-border contact tracing is considered a critical component of the outbreak response. While only a minority of international contact tracing activities were related to exposure events in transport, they contributed substantially to the workload. The numerous communications highlight the need for fast and efficient global outbreak communication channels between PHA.
引言罗伯特·科赫研究所（RKI）在 COVID-19 大流行早期管理了德国和国外公共卫生机构（PHA）之间的跨境接触者追踪数据交换。目的我们描述了跨境接触者追踪的程度及其挑战。方法我们使用通过欧洲早期预警和反应系统交换的信息以及与国际卫生条例国家协调中心的通信，分析了 2020 年 2 月 3 日至 4 月 5 日的跨境 COVID-19 接触者追踪事件。我们按 PHA、接触人数和接触背景描述事件。结果RKI 处理了 467 起事件，与 1099 次 PHA 发起联系（中位数=1；四分位距（IQR）：1-2），并共享了 5099 名接触者的数据。在已知接触背景的 327 起（70%）事件中，报告最多的暴露情况是飞机（n=64；20%）、游轮（n=24；7%）和非运输环境（n=210；64%）。游轮和飞机暴露导致与当局联系的接触者更多（中位数=10；IQR：2-16，中位数=4；IQR：2-11）和更多的接触者（中位数=60；IQR：9-269，中位数=2；IQR：1-3）比非运输暴露（中位数=1；IQR：1-6 和中位数=1；IQR：1-2）。游轮的接触者追踪时间中位数最高：5 天（IQR：3-9）。结论在 COVID-19 大流行期间，跨境接触者追踪被认为是疫情应对的关键组成部分。虽然只有少数国际接触者追踪活动与运输中的暴露事件有关，但它们对工作量有很大贡献。大量的通信突出表明，PHA 之间需要快速有效的全球疫情通信渠道。
