Covid-19: Better contact tracing could help save lives and the economy

The rates of daily infections are rising significantly. In order to save lives and to keep the UK economy open, improvements to the UK contact tracing system are urgently needed. Woolliscroft et al. outlined how the UK contact tracing system could be improved. Detailed evaluation of the Sheffield based community contact tracing pilot project offers additional insights. [1,2] An independent group of mainly retired NHS staff called Sheffield Community Contact Tracers (SCCT) conducted a pilot contact tracing project from April to May 2020 before the national system was introduced. The project was assessed to determine the feasibility and impact of a volunteer staffed community contact tracing approach. The assessment found that contact tracing was enhanced by: trust, local knowledge, interviewer skills and expertise, cooperation from employers, and contact in a timely manner.