Timing social distancing to avert unmanageable COVID-19 hospital surges

Duque D, Morton DP, Singh B, Du Z, Pasco R, Meyers LA (2020)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2020

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America National Academy of Sciences

Pages Range: 202009033

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2009033117

Abstract

Following the April 16, 2020 release of the Opening Up America Again guidelines for relaxing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) social distancing policies, local leaders are concerned about future pandemic waves and lack robust strategies for tracking and suppressing transmission. Here, we present a strategy for triggering short-term shelter-in-place orders when hospital admissions surpass a threshold. We use stochastic optimization to derive triggers that ensure hospital surges will not exceed local capacity and lockdowns are as short as possible. For example, Austin, Texas—the fastest-growing large city in the United States—has adopted a COVID-19 response strategy based on this method. Assuming that the relaxation of social distancing increases the risk of infection sixfold, the optimal strategy will trigger a total of 135 d (90% prediction interval: 126 d to 141 d) of sheltering, allow schools to open in the fall, and result in an expected 2,929 deaths (90% prediction interval: 2,837 to 3,026) by September 2021, which is 29% of the annual mortality rate. In the months ahead, policy makers are likely to face difficult choices, and the extent of public restraint and cocooning of vulnerable populations may save or cost thousands of lives.

Authors with CRIS profile

Bismark Singh Economics - Discrete Optimization - Mathematics (EDOM)

Related research project(s)

Optimal Decision Making for COVID-19 July 13, 2020 - Nov. 29, 2020

Involved external institutions

Northwestern University US United States (USA) (US) University of Texas at Austin US United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Duque, D., Morton, D.P., Singh, B., Du, Z., Pasco, R., & Meyers, L.A. (2020). Timing social distancing to avert unmanageable COVID-19 hospital surges. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 202009033. https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2009033117

MLA:

Duque, Daniel, et al. "Timing social distancing to avert unmanageable COVID-19 hospital surges." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2020): 202009033.

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