Letter to the editor: Added value of backward contact tracing for COVID-19

References

1. Boelsums TL, van de Luitgaarden IAT, Whelan J, Poell H, Hoffman CM, Fanoy E, et al. The value of manual backward contact tracing to control COVID-19 in practice, the Netherlands, February to March 2021: a pilot study. Euro Surveill. 2023;28(41):2200916.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.41.2200916  PMID: 37824253 
2. Endo A, Leclerc QJ, Knight GM, Medley GF, Atkins KE, Funk S, et al. Implication of backward contact tracing in the presence of overdispersed transmission in COVID-19 outbreaks. Wellcome Open Res. 2021;5:239.  https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16344.3  PMID: 33154980 
3. Ko YK, Furuse Y, Ninomiya K, Otani K, Akaba H, Miyahara R, et al. Secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during the first two waves in Japan: Demographic characteristics and overdispersion. Int J Infect Dis. 2022;116:365-73.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2022.01.036  PMID: 35066162 
4. Miyama T, Jung SM, Nishiura H. Decrease in overdispersed secondary transmission of COVID-19 over time in Japan. Epidemiol Infect. 2022;150:e197.  https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268822001789  PMID: 36377373 
5. Johansson MA, Quandelacy TM, Kada S, Prasad PV, Steele M, Brooks JT, et al. SARS-CoV-2 transmission from people without COVID-19 symptoms. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(1):e2035057.  https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.35057  PMID: 33410879 
6. Raymenants J, Geenen C, Thibaut J, Nelissen K, Gorissen S, Andre E. Empirical evidence on the efficiency of backward contact tracing in COVID-19. Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):4750.  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32531-6  PMID: 35963872 
7. Wegehaupt O, Endo A, Vassall A. Superspreading, overdispersion and their implications in the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature. BMC Public Health. 2023;23(1):1003.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15915-1  PMID: 37254143 
8. Bradshaw WJ, Alley EC, Huggins JH, Lloyd AL, Esvelt KM. Bidirectional contact tracing could dramatically improve COVID-19 control. Nat Commun. 2021;12(1):232.  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20325-7  PMID: 33431829