Washington: Implementation of physical distancing policies nationally is associated with significant reductions in transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. Reduced community mobility also helps in spreading of COVID-19, according to researchers, including one of Indian origin. Hence physical and social distancing must be done at any cost to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The study has been published Thursday in the journal ‘PLOS ONE’. The study found that physical distancing policies were enacted nationally in 46 countries. It prevented an estimated 1.57 million cases of COVID-19 over a two-week period. Hence there was a 65 per cent reduction in new cases.
The researchers emphasised the significant benefits that can be achieved by individuals practising social distancing measures.
“From our data-driven analysis, it became clear that social distancing can have a huge impact on transmission rates,” said Raghu Kalluri. He is a professor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States (US).
Analysing the effects of social distancing policies globally, the researchers were able to obtain sufficient data for 46 countries. These countries had put in place national social distancing policies. On the other hand they also studied 74 nations without such policies.
The data indicate that significantly greater reductions in transmission were seen in countries after implementing a national social distancing. In comparison the increase of new cases was much higher for the same time frame in countries without social distancing policies, the researchers said.
Countries with any social distancing policies had significantly reduced community mobility relative to nations without policies. Those with national policies saw greater decreases than countries with regional policies, according to the researchers.
There was a strong correlation between decreased mobility and decreased transmission of the virus. This factor highlighted the importance of individuals practicing social distancing to effectively prevent transmission of the virus, the researchers said.
“This is clear evidence that social distancing measures can collectively have tremendous impacts on reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2. We encourage individuals to practice social distancing to help control spread of infections,” informed Kalluri.
“We believe these data will provide useful evidence for public health officials and policy makers. They should consider these facts when they implement future measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in their communities,” Kalluri added.
The researchers acknowledge the study is limited by a reliance on direct COVID-19 testing, which may underestimate prevalence. They also focused on spread rates following implementation of social distancing policies.