About coronavirus disease 2019 (CoviD-19)
Susanne Straif-Bourgeois, William T. Robinson
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to be a worldwide public health threat. During the early stages of a pandemic with sparse knowledge about the pathogen, limiting testing capacity, and without effective treatment options, it is a nearly impossible task for local and state governments to limit CoViD-19 associated morbidity and mortality in their jurisdictions. To predict the numbers of infected persons, hospitalizations, and deaths, infectious disease models are useful tools for Public Health officials to decide on best public health mitigation measures to prevent the rapid growth of CoViD-19 disease. The goal is to delay the rapid spread of the disease, ”flatten the curve,” to have sufficient healthcare resources such as Intensive Care Units (ICU) beds and ventilators available to treat the very sick patients but also enough personal protective equipment (PPE) such as N95 masks, gloves, and gowns to protect the healthcare workers from getting infected. Keywords: COVID-19, epidemiology, disease transmission, mortality