Interplay of Digital Proximity App Use and SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Uptake in Switzerland: Analysis of Two Population-Based Cohort Studies

Paola Daniore; André Moser; Marc Höglinger; Nicole Probst Hensch; Medea Imboden; Thomas Vermes; Dirk Keidel; Murielle Bochud; Natalia Ortega Herrero; Stéphanie Baggio; Patricia Chocano-Bedoya; Nicolas Rodondi; Stefano Tancredi; Cornelia Wagner; Stéphane Cullati; Silvia Stringhini; Semira Gonseth Nusslé; Caroline Veys-Takeuchi; Claire Zuppinger; Erika Harju; Gisela Michel; Irène Frank; Christian R Kahlert; Emiliano Albanese; Luca Crivelli; Sara Levati; Rebecca Amati; Marco Kaufmann; Marco Geigges; Tala Ballouz; Anja Frei; Jan Fehr; Viktor von Wyl

doi:10.3389/ijph.2023.1605812

Interplay of Digital Proximity App Use and SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Uptake in Switzerland: Analysis of Two Population-Based Cohort Studies

Int J Public Health. 2023 Sep 20:68:1605812. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605812. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Paola Daniore^{1

2}, André Moser³, Marc Höglinger⁴, Nicole Probst Hensch^{5

6}, Medea Imboden^{5

6}, Thomas Vermes^{5

6}, Dirk Keidel^{5

6}, Murielle Bochud⁷, Natalia Ortega Herrero^{8

9}, Stéphanie Baggio^{8

9}, Patricia Chocano-Bedoya^{8

9}, Nicolas Rodondi^{8

10}, Stefano Tancredi⁹, Cornelia Wagner⁹, Stéphane Cullati^{9

11}, Silvia Stringhini^{12

13}, Semira Gonseth Nusslé⁷, Caroline Veys-Takeuchi⁷, Claire Zuppinger⁷, Erika Harju^{14

15

16}, Gisela Michel¹⁴, Irène Frank¹⁵, Christian R Kahlert^{17

18}, Emiliano Albanese¹⁹, Luca Crivelli^{19

20}, Sara Levati²⁰, Rebecca Amati¹⁹, Marco Kaufmann²¹, Marco Geigges²¹, Tala Ballouz²¹, Anja Frei²¹, Jan Fehr^{21

22}, Viktor von Wyl^{1

2

22}

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
² Digital Society Initiative, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
³ Clinical Trials Unit Bern, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
⁴ Winterthur Institute of Health Economics, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland.
⁵ Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.
⁶ University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
⁷ Unisanté, University Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁸ Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
⁹ Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
¹⁰ Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
¹¹ Department of Readaptation and Geriatrics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹² Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹³ Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹⁴ Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland.
¹⁵ Clinical Trial Unit, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Lucerne, Switzerland.
¹⁶ School of Health Sciences, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland.
¹⁷ Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
¹⁸ Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, Children's Hospital of Eastern Switzerland, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
¹⁹ Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
²⁰ Department Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Manno, Switzerland.
²¹ Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
²² Division of Infectious Disease and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Abstract

Objectives: Our study aims to evaluate developments in vaccine uptake and digital proximity tracing app use in a localized context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Methods: We report findings from two population-based longitudinal cohorts in Switzerland from January to December 2021. Failure time analyses and Cox proportional hazards regression models were conducted to assess vaccine uptake and digital proximity tracing app (SwissCovid) uninstalling outcomes. Results: We observed a dichotomy of individuals who did not use the SwissCovid app and did not get vaccinated, and who used the SwissCovid app and got vaccinated during the study period. Increased vaccine uptake was observed with SwissCovid app use (aHR, 1.51; 95% CI: 1.40-1.62 [CI-DFU]; aHR, 1.79; 95% CI: 1.62-1.99 [CSM]) compared to SwissCovid app non-use. Decreased SwissCovid uninstallation risk was observed for participants who got vaccinated (aHR, 0.55; 95% CI: 0.38-0.81 [CI-DFU]; aHR, 0.45; 95% CI: 0.27-0.78 [CSM]) compared to participants who did not get vaccinated. Conclusion: In evolving epidemic contexts, these findings underscore the need for communication strategies as well as flexible digital proximity tracing app adjustments that accommodate different preventive measures and their anticipated interactions.

Keywords: COVID-19; digital proximity tracing; public health; public health measures; vaccination.

Copyright © 2023 Daniore, Moser, Höglinger, Probst Hensch, Imboden, Vermes, Keidel, Bochud, Ortega Herrero, Baggio, Chocano-Bedoya, Rodondi, Tancredi, Wagner, Cullati, Stringhini, Gonseth Nusslé, Veys-Takeuchi, Zuppinger, Harju, Michel, Frank, Kahlert, Albanese, Crivelli, Levati, Amati, Kaufmann, Geigges, Ballouz, Frei, Fehr and von Wyl.

MeSH terms

COVID-19 Vaccines / therapeutic use
COVID-19* / epidemiology
COVID-19* / prevention & control
Cohort Studies
Humans
Mobile Applications*
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2
Switzerland / epidemiology

Substances

COVID-19 Vaccines

Grants and funding

This study was partially funded by the Digital Society Initiative (DSI). This study is part of the Corona Immunitas research network, coordinated by the Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), and funded by fundraising of SSPH+ including funds of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and private funders (ethical guidelines for funding stated by SSPH+ were respected). The COVID-19 Social Monitor study was funded by the Federal Office of Public Health and Health Promotion Switzerland.