Feasibility of Controlling COVID-19 Outbreaks in the UK by Rolling Interventions
Authors: Yang Po , Qi Jun , Zhang Shuhao , wang Xulong , Bi Gaoshan , Yang Yun , Sheng Bin , Mao Xuxin 
Published: April 2020

Background

Recent outbreak of a novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led a rapid global spread around the world. For controlling COVID-19 outbreaks, many countries have implemented two non-pharmaceutical interventions: suppression like immediate lock-downs in cities at epicentre of outbreak; or mitigation that slows down but not stopping epidemic for reducing peak healthcare demand. Both interventions have apparent pros and cons; the effectiveness of any one intervention in isolation is limited. We aimed to conduct a feasibility study for robustly estimating the number and distribution of infections, growth of deaths, peaks and lengths of COVID-19 breakouts by taking multiple interventions in London and the UK, accounting for reduction of healthcare demand.

Methods

We developed a model to attempt to infer the impact of mitigation, suppression and multiple rolling interventions for controlling COVID-19 outbreaks in London and the UK. Our model assumed that each intervention has equivalent effect on the reproduction number R across countries and over time; where its intensity was presented by average-number contacts with susceptible individuals as infectious individuals; early immediate intensive intervention led to increased health need and social anxiety. We considered two important features: direct link between Exposed and Recovered population, and practical healthcare demand by separation of infections into mild and critical cases. Our model was fitted and calibrated with data on cases of COVID-19 in Wuhan to estimate how suppression intervention impacted on the number and distribution of infections, growth of deaths over time during January 2020, and April 2020. We combined the calibrated model with data on the cases of COVID-19 in London and non-London regions in the UK during February 2020 and March 2020 to estimate the number and distribution of infections, growth of deaths, and healthcare demand by using multiple interventions.

Findings

We estimated given that multiple interventions with an intensity range from 3 to 15, one optimal strategy was to take suppression with intensity 3 in London from 23rd March for 100 days, and 3 weeks rolling intervention with intensity between 3 and 5 in non-London regions. In this scenario, the total infections and deaths in the UK were limited to 2.43 million and 33.8 thousand; the peak time of healthcare demand was due to the 65th day (April 11th), where it needs hospital beds for 25.3 thousand severe and critical cases. If we took a simultaneous 3 weeks rolling intervention with intensity between 3 and 5 in all regions of the UK, the total infections and deaths increased slightly to 2.69 million and 37 thousand; the peak time of healthcare kept the same at the 65th day, where it needs equivalent hospital beds for severe and critical cases of 25.3 thousand. But if we released high band of rolling intervention intensity to 6 or 8 and simultaneously implemented them in all regions of the UK, the COVID-19 outbreak would not end in 1 year and distribute a multi-modal mode, where the total infections and deaths in the UK possibly reached to 16.2 million and 257 thousand.

Interpretation

Our results show that taking rolling intervention is probably an optimal strategy to effectively and efficiently control COVID-19 outbreaks in the UK. As large difference of population density and social distancing between London and non-London regions in the UK, it is more appropriate to implement consistent suppression in London for 100 days and rolling intervention in other regions. This strategy would potentially reduce the overall infections and deaths, and delay and reduce peak healthcare demand.

Research in context

Evidence before this study

Suppression and mitigation are two common interventions for controlling infectious disease outbreaks. Previous works show rapid suppression is able to immediately reduce infections to low levels by eliminating human-to-human transmission, but needs consistent maintenance; mitigation does not interrupt transmission completely and tolerates some increase of infections, but minimises health and economic impacts of viral spread.3 While current planning in many countries is focused on implementing either suppression or mitigation, it is not clear how and when to take which level of interventions for control COVID-19 breakouts to certain country in light of balancing its healthcare demands and economic impacts.

Added value of this study

We used a mathematical model to access the feasibility of multiple intervention to control COVID-19 outbreaks in the UK. Our model distinguished self-recovered populations, infection with mild and critical cases for estimating healthcare demand. It combined available evidence from available data source in Wuhan. We estimated how suppression, mitigation and multiple rolling interventions impact on controlling outbreaks in London and non-London regions of the UK. We provided an evidence verification point that implementing suppression in London and rolling intervention with high intensity in non-London regions is probably an optimal strategy to control COVID-19 breakouts in the UK with minimised deaths and economic impacts.

Implications of all the available evidence

The effectiveness and impact of suppression and mitigation to control outbreaks of COVID-19 depends on intervention intensity and duration, which remain unclear at the present time. Using the current best understanding of this model, implementing consistent suppression in London for 100 days and 3 weeks rolling intervention with intensity between 3 and 5 in other regions potentially limit the total deaths in the UK to 33.8 thousand. Future research on how to quantify and measure intervention activities could improve precision on control estimates.