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Peer reviewedOpen accessCOVID-19SARS

Rapid prototyping of models for COVID-19 outbreak detection in workplaces

BMC Infectious Diseases·

Isobel Abell, Cameron Zachreson, Eamon Conway, Nicholas Geard, Jodie McVernon, Thomas Waring, Christopher Baker

DOI
10.1186/s12879-023-08713-y
PMID
PMCID
OpenAlex
W4387878986
Study type
Journal article
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Article type
journal-article
Integrity
current

Why this research matters now

The work informs workplace testing policy in Australia by illustrating how surveillance design choices shape detectability of COVID-19 outbreaks in occupational settings.

01

Structured evidence summary

Research question

How do test frequency, test sensitivity, and workplace scheduling patterns affect outbreak detection of COVID-19 in high-risk workplace settings?

Study design

Rapid prototype mathematical modelling study comprising an initial exponential growth model followed by a more detailed agent-based model, iteratively updated to address new policy questions.

Population and setting

High-risk workplace settings in Australia, with the agent-based model extended to incorporate intermittent workplace scheduling.

Main findings

The exponential model indicated that low-sensitivity tests can still yield high probabilities of outbreak detection when testing is frequent. The agent-based model broadly supported these results and extended them to intermittent work patterns, highlighting risks associated with particular scheduling arrangements and identifying testing strategies that improve detection.

Public-health relevance

The work informs workplace testing policy in Australia by illustrating how surveillance design choices shape detectability of COVID-19 outbreaks in occupational settings.

Important limitations

This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and bibliographic metadata; the original paper is required to assess explicit assumptions, parameter values, and any stated limitations of the modelling approach.

GIDS interpretation

The study is discoverable through classifiers linking it to COVID-19 surveillance, outbreak investigation, and health policy in Australia; no connection to a live surveillance signal is made here.

02

Related GIDS surveillance

Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.

03

Evidence relationships

This article has 11 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.

about diseaseabout diseaseaddresses topicaddresses topicaddresses topicaddresses topichas pathogen typeinforms policy domainstudied population settingstudies pathogenuses study design