AUTHOR=Li Xin , Li Yalan , Liu Tianjiao , Ding Rui , Hou Qiannan , Xiong Liling , Du Na , Gong Zhaolin , Cheng Linbo , Luo Dan , Wei Sumei , Yang Xiao 

TITLE=Epidemic history investigation: a new method of finding close contacts

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1062633

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1062633

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 has become a major global public health concern in December 2019. However, finding and excluding close contacts of COVID-19 infectors is a critical but difficult issue. This study aimed to introduce a new method of epidemiological investigation named space-time companions, which was adopted in Chengdu, China, in November 2021.
Methods: An observational investigation was conducted during a small outbreak of COVID-19 in Chengdu, China in November 2021. A flow chart was used to describe the screening process of spatiotemporal companions in detail and illustrate the space-time companion epidemic management method.
Results: The COVID-19 epidemic outbreak in Chengdu was effectively controlled for approximately one incubation period (14 days). After four rounds of space-time companions screening, more than 450,000 space-time companions were screened, including 27 COVID-19 infectors. Moreover, in the subsequent rounds of nucleic acid testing for all people in the city, no infected person was found proving the end of this epidemic outbreak.
Conclusion: The space-time companion provides a new idea for screening close contacts of the COVID-19 infector and other similar infectious diseases, which may be a turning point from traditional artificial epidemiologic investigation to intelligent models.