Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

February 11, 2021

Quantifying Population Contact Patterns in the United States during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Interpersonal contact in the San Francisco Bay area was reduced by 82% in March 2020 and by 60% in September 2020, compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to analysis of a series of self-reported contact surveys. The reduction in contact corresponded to a 73% reduction in Ro in March and a 36% reduction in September. While contact frequencies were highest among Black and Hispanic respondents initially, white respondents had the highest contact frequency by September. Male respondents under 45 reported the highest contact frequency. Pre-pandemic levels were estimated from contact patterns of a probability sample of US Facebook users in 2015.

Feehan and Mahmud. (Feb 9, 2021). Quantifying Population Contact Patterns in the United States during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-20990-2