The Optimising Isolation, Quarantine and Distancing Study for COVID-19 (Optimise)

The Australian government swift interventions and actions early to the COVID 19 epidemic included enforced quarantine, isolation, varying degrees of social and physical distancing measures, travel restrictions, community level testing and enhanced contact tracing models which effected the trajectory of the epidemic impact. While the search for effective therapeutics and vaccines continues, it is important to understand how to effectively implement and optimise the current public health interventions available; application of traditional contact tracing , contributions of new contact tracing mobile phone applications, community level testing and use of specific fit for purpose diagnostic tests; to screen, detect and provide evidence of infection clearance. While the suppression measures have been effective on disease transmission rates, it has had economic, social and non COVID-19 health costs impacts. As community restrictions change it will be important to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of these key interventions. This is a longitudinal study that will follow the experience and behaviors of 2 key risk populations impacted by COVID-19 transmission containment measures.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: COVID19

Detailed Description

This is a mixed methods longitudinal study of a cohort of 1000 participants for a 12 month period. Victorian adults from three key risk populations will be recruited into two longitudinal cohort groups. It will follow the experiences and behaviors of the groups;

Recruitment group 1/Seed set 1 - recently diagnosed 'COVID-19 cases' (Group 1) and their social network with up to 2 waves of /Key people, will be followed up for 1 month initially with specific monitoring tools before they will transition into ongoing follow up and monitoring as recruitment group 2

Recruitment group 2/Seed set 2 - people from the general community that are not currently infected with COVID19 'Group 2' that are practicing physical distancing and represent specific key risk groups, and their social network with up to 2 waves of Key people.

Oversampling of vulnerable populations including people with disabilities, single parents and people living alone will be conducted across all groups.

Individuals may be invited to participate in more than one cohort when they change between risk population definitions.

The project aims to meet the following objectives using a longitudinal cohort design and a mixed method of qualitative and quantitative tools to enable us to assess changes within individuals over time and to assess the influence of social networks on their health, well-being, attitudes and perceptions. To assess the feasibility, acceptability and implementation of new interventions designed to support a reduction in disease transmission, including testing strategies, we will recruit a small sub-sample of participants into a sub-studies that will assess implementation outcomes.

Objectives of the study are:

1. To assess adherence to government intervention strategies (i.e. early testing, isolation and physical distancing) and identify factors that promote/inhibit compliance to intervention strategies designed to reduce transmission.
2. To better understand, assess and monitor the unintended health, social and economic consequences of the government interventions to control COVID-19 transmission
3. To collect and collate empirical data regarding transmissions dynamics, social contacts and mixing patterns of COVID19 cases , their contacts and key vulnerable groups to develop and refine mathematical models that will improve the precision and timeliness of dynamic transmission estimates
4. To test the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of (i) new and existing diagnostic tests and testing strategies and (ii) new and existing intervention strategies (therapeutic, behavioural, social) to support early diagnosis and subsequently reduce transmission.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 1000

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Australia
  • Victoria
    • Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3004
      • The Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health
    • Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3050
      • The Peter Doherty Institute for infection and immunity

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants adults living in Victoria

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Community participants -

Exclusion Criteria:

Unable to provide consent -

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Observational Group 1; Group 1/Seed set 1 - recently diagnosed 'COVID-19 cases' (Group 1) and their social network with up to 2 waves of /Key people, will be followed up for 1 month initially with specific monitoring tools before they will transition into ongoing follow up and monitoring as recruitment group 2
Observational Group 2; Group 2/Seed set 2 - people from the general community that are not currently infected with COVID19 'Group 2' that are practicing physical distancing and represent specific key risk groups, and their social network with up to 2 waves of Key people

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from response in baseline questionnaires to Adherence (non-adherence) with COVID19 transmission containment measures	Participants will complete behavioural questionnaires and diaries as binary daily measure of outcomes of compliance/non-adherence for each individual, determined by their ability to adhere to government regulations	18 months
Change from response in baseline questionnaires depicting what are the unintended health, social and economic consequences of the government response to control COVID19 transmission	Participants will complete behavioural questionnaires and diaries. e.g. Anxiety (using GAD scale: https://patient.info/doctor/generalised-anxiety-disorder-assessment-gad-7).	18 months
What are the social contacts and mixing patterns of COVID-19 cases	The behavioural questionnaire participants will be ask to complete include nominating the number of social network contacts per day.	18 months
What are the types of social contacts and mixing patterns of COVID-19 cases	The questionnaire participants will be ask to complete will include nominating the relationship with their contacts per day(i.e. partner, child, friend), and individuals COVID test status, providing detailed specifics of the projects social network data.	18 months
Measure of the efficacy of government interventions,	Participants responses to behavioural questionnaires and focus group discussions will be used as binary measurers; including but not limited to the number/proportion of participants who receive a score indicating accurate knowledge of government recommendations, receive a score of using COVID-19 prevention measures as recommended by the government.	18 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Collect data of positive COVID19 cases reported in study participant questionnaires.	The COVID 19 data will be analysed to determine the cases reported and if there are social contacts nominated in the questionnaires showing any linkage of cases. The social mixing patterns nominated of COVID19 cases, will be used to develop and refine mathematical models to improve precision and timeliness of dynamic transmission estimates.	18 months
Assess the effectiveness of government interventions to reduce COVID-19 transmission from questionnaire responses from cohort participants	Including but not limited to the number/proportion of participants with accurate knowledge of government recommendations and the number/proportion of participants using COVID-19 prevention measures as recommended by the government.	18 months
To investigate new and alternative tests to diagnose COVID-19.	Participants of the Optimise main study who are diagnosed with COVID-19 and their contacts will be invited to participate in a sub study of saliva testing compared with deep nasal/throat swab testing for the diagnosis of COVID-19 using RT-PCR	18 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health Ltd
• Collaborators: Monash University; University of Melbourne; La Trobe University; Swinburne University of Technology; The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity; SNA Toolbox; Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health; Macquarie Group Foundation; Victorian State Government

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 30, 2020
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 5, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 4, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): January 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 13, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 4, 2026
• Last Verified: October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; COVID-19
• Other Study ID Numbers: 202006

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No