網淳子さんの研究 ”Advancing the Sensitivity Frontier in digital contact tracing: Comparative analysis of proposed methods toward maximized utility” が Elsevier社の Informatics in Medicine Unlockedに掲載されました。
COVID-19の感染拡大抑制策として多くの国でデジタル接触追跡（DCT）技術が導入されました。しかし、Bluetooth Low Energy（BLE）を利用するDCTはアプリ利用者同士の接触しか検知できず、感度が低いという問題がありました。本研究では、BLE方式、および携帯電話基地局への接続ログを利用して接触追跡を行うCIRCLE方式の感度と特異度を、疑似人流データも活用し、比較・分析しました。その結果、CIRCLE方式はBLE方式の最大7倍を超える感度を持つことが明らかになりました（図１）。一方で、感染者数の増加に伴い、CIRCLE方式では誤検知が増加し特異度が低下することも確認されました。そこで、感染状況に応じて異なる特性を持つDCT技術を使い分けることで接触追跡の実用性を向上させる方策を提案しました。
BLE方式とCIRCLE方式の感度
詳細は以下のリンクからご覧ください。
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imu.2025.101622
Mrs.Ami’s latest research, “Advancing the Sensitivity Frontier in Digital Contact Tracing: Comparative Analysis of Proposed Methods Toward Maximized Utility,” has been published in Elsevier’s Informatics in Medicine Unlocked.
Digital contact tracing (DCT) technologies have been widely adopted worldwide to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. However, DCT systems based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology are limited to detecting contacts between app users, resulting in low sensitivity. This study, utilizing pseudo person flow, conducted a comparative analysis of two DCT methods: the BLE-based approach and the CIRCLE method, which leverages connection logs from mobile phone base stations for contact tracing. The findings reveal that the CIRCLE method achieves up to seven times higher sensitivity than the BLE method. However, the study also identified a key challenge—as the number of infected individuals increases, the specificity of the CIRCLE method decreases.
Sensitivity of BLE-based DCT and CIRCLE
These results suggest that employing a combination of DCT methods tailored to the prevailing infection dynamics may significantly enhance the effectiveness of pandemic control measures. For more information, please refer to the link below.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imu.2025.101622
