Stay-at-home orders were introduced in many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, limiting the time people spent outside their home and the attendance of gatherings. In this study, we argue from a theoretical model that in many cases the effect of such stay-at-home orders on incidence growth should be quadratic, and that this statement should also hold beyond COVID-19. That is, a reduction of the out-of-home duration to, say, 70% of its original value should reduce incidence growth and thus the effective R-value to of its original value.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Collaborative comparisons and combinations of epidemic models are used as policy-relevant evidence during epidemic outbreaks. In the process of collecting multiple model projections, such collaborations may gain or lose relevant information. Typically, modellers contribute a probabilistic summary at each time-step.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Respir Med
January 2024
Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir is an oral treatment for mild to moderate COVID-19 cases with a high risk for a severe course of the disease. For this paper, a comprehensive literature review was performed, leading to a summary of currently available data on Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir's ability to reduce the risk of progressing to a severe disease state. Herein, the focus lies on publications that include comparisons between patients receiving Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir and a control group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMeasurable levels of immunoglobulin G antibodies develop after infections with and vaccinations against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). These antibody levels are dynamic: due to waning, antibody levels will drop over time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple models predicting infection dynamics were used by policymakers to support the planning of public health policies.
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