Social Behaviors Associated With a Positive COVID-19 Test Result.

Sidra L Speaker,Aaron Dunn,Michael Rothberg,Victoria Shaker,Bryan Hair,Christine M Doherty,Lynn Daboul,Elizabeth Pfoh

doi:10.7759/cureus.13064

Abstract

ObjectiveTo compare the social behaviors of individuals who were tested positive for COVID-19 relative to non-infected individuals. MethodsWe sent COVID positive cases and age/gender-matched controls a survey regarding their social behaviors via MyChart (online patient portal). We called cases if they did not complete the electronic survey within two days. Data were collected from May to June 2020. Survey responses for cases without close contact and controls were compared using Pearson chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests as appropriate. ResultsA total of 339 participants completed the survey (113 cases, 226 controls); 45 (40%) cases had known contact with COVID-19. Cases were more likely to have recently traveled (4% vs. 0%, p = 0.01) or to work outside the home (40% vs. 25%, p = 0.02). There was no difference in the rates of attending private or public gatherings, mask/glove use, hand-washing, cleaning surfaces, and cleaning mail/groceries between cases and controls. ConclusionsSixty percent of cases had no known contact with COVID-19, indicating ongoing community transmission and underlining the importance of contact tracing. The greater percentage of cases who work outside the home provides further evidence for social distancing and remote telework when possible.

Highlights

SARS-CoV-2 has infected >61 million individuals worldwide, with 1.4 million deaths as of December 1, 2020 [1]
Sixty percent of cases had no known contact with COVID-19, indicating ongoing community transmission and underlining the importance of contact tracing
The greater percentage of cases who work outside the home provides further evidence for social distancing and remote telework when possible

Summary

Introduction

SARS-CoV-2 has infected >61 million individuals worldwide, with 1.4 million deaths as of December 1, 2020 [1]. To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, there has been the widespread promotion of public health measures. These measures, developed from experiences with other coronavirus outbreaks such as SARS, include isolation, quarantine, social distancing, and community containment. The separation of symptomatic-infected individuals from non-infected individuals, works best for diseases with a short incubation period. COVID-19 has a long incubation period and a substantial portion of transmission may occur from asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individuals [3]. Quarantine, restriction of movement of exposed individuals for the duration of the incubation period, is most useful when contacts of infected individuals can be readily traced. Community containment involves restricting movements in entire geographical areas [4]

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion