Learning about the effectiveness of contact tracing from when it failed – a natural experiment
Learning about the effectiveness of contact tracing from when it failed – a natural experiment
policy briefing, public policy
30/2020 Thiemo Fetzer and Thomas Graeber
Due to a technical error at Public Health England, at least 15,841 individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 between 20 September and 2 October had not been referred to the national contact tracing system on 3 October. The data glitch created a “natural experiment” that allows us to evaluate the effect of contact tracing.
Public Policy