Congratulations to D. Gurarie (PI), A. Mondal (Co-PI), and Q. Huang on awarding NSF grant to model the spread of COVID-19.

There has never been a time when mathematical models have received  more widespread attention than since the COVID-19 epidemic has drastically changed our lives in the matter of days. Mathematical models are important tools to help inform public health policies, and their pivotal role is becoming clear at the time of emerging disease outbreaks, like the current COVID-19 pandemic. This project will develop and analyze data-driven mathematical models to predict its spread and evaluate the success of various control intervention strategies, using data from the US and abroad. The models will account for the characteristics of the pathogen, and social interactions on local community level (from single entities – school, hospital,  workplace, to county/city scale). Such models can provide real-time information to assist public health officials in making critical decisions on COVID-19 control policies and resource allocation.