Mathematical Modeling of COVID-19 Disease Dynamics With Contact Tracing: A Case Study in Ethiopia

In this paper, we developed a mathematical model for the dynamics of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) transmission. The model embraces the notion of contact tracing and contaminated surfaces which are vital for disease control and contribute to disease transmission, respectively. We analyzed the model properties such as the positivity of the solution, invariant region, existence, and stability nature of equilibria. Besides, we computed the basic reproduction number R0. The local stability and the global stability of disease-free equilibrium (DFE) points are proved by using the Routh–Hurwitz criteria and the Castillo-Chavez and Song approach, respectively. LaSalle’s invariant principle is applied to prove the stability of an endemic equilibrium (EE) point. The possibility of bifurcation is discussed using the center manifold theory. We used real data on the spread and control of COVID-19 disease in Ethiopia. Based on the data reported, we estimated the values of the parameters using the least squares method together with the fmin function in the MATLAB optimization toolbox. The sensitivity analysis of the model is explored numerically to illustrate the impact of the parameters on disease transmission. The study addressed that contact tracing is especially important because COVID-19 often has asymptomatic carriers, and there are many asymptomatic individuals unaware in Ethiopia. The new infections would decrease in the communities by detecting and isolating COVID-19 cases before they could spread the virus to others. Moreover, the study endorsed that the contaminated surface has contributed to disease transmission. The sensitivity analysis shows that if the rate of disinfected contaminated objects (ϕ) rises, then the transmission of the disease is reduced. Consequently, this study will aid in the fight against COVID-19 policymakers and NGOs. It can also be used as a policy input for different countries under this crisis. Because of the mathematical modeling of this global pandemic, there is another point of view rather than public health research outputs. Additionally, with the concept of contact tracing and contaminated surfaces incorporated into the model, the result provides insight for disease prevention.