October 23, 2020

The Temporal Association of Introducing and Lifting Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions with the Time-Varying Reproduction Number (R) of SARS-CoV-2: A Modelling Study across 131 Countries

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Modeling and Prediction

Keywords (Tags): modeling prediction

• A modeling study of the impacts of introducing and lifting non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on the level of SARS-CoV-2 transmission (measured as R) found that school and workplace closures, public events bans, and other social distancing requirements were associated with reduced R, though this was only significant for public events bans. The effect of introducing and lifting these interventions was delayed by 1–3 weeks, with a longer delay when lifting NPIs. In response to a possible resurgence of COVID-19, banning public events and gatherings of more than 10 people appeared to reduce R by day 28, with additional reductions possible by implementing measures to close workplaces and encourage people to stay at home.

Li et al. (Oct 2020). The Temporal Association of Introducing and Lifting Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions with the Time-Varying Reproduction Number (R) of SARS-CoV-2: A Modelling Study across 131 Countries. The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30785-4