Optimal reduction of an epidemic outbreak size via temporary quarantine

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Atias, Eyal, Assaf, Michael
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2024
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author Atias, Eyal
Assaf, Michael
author_facet Atias, Eyal
Assaf, Michael
contents Understanding the dynamics of an epidemic spread is crucial for effective control measures. During the COVID-19 pandemic, quarantines were implemented to minimize infections while mitigating social and economic impacts, raising the question of how to maximize quarantine efficiency. Previous research on periodic quarantines using the susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) and similar models identified optimal duration for periodic quarantines. However, the question of the optimal initiation time for a single quarantine remains unanswered. Here, we use the SIR model in order to determine the optimal quarantine initiation time, by computing the optimal susceptible fraction at the onset of the quarantine, which minimizes the total outbreak size. Our analysis extends from a well-mixed scenario to strongly-heterogeneous social networks. We show that the optimal quarantine initiation time is closely related to the so-called "herd immunity" threshold, occurring at the onset of epidemic decline. Importantly, providing a methodology for identifying the optimal quarantine initiation time across different network structures, entails significant implications for epidemic control.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_11368
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Optimal reduction of an epidemic outbreak size via temporary quarantine
Atias, Eyal
Assaf, Michael
Statistical Mechanics
Computational Physics
Populations and Evolution
Understanding the dynamics of an epidemic spread is crucial for effective control measures. During the COVID-19 pandemic, quarantines were implemented to minimize infections while mitigating social and economic impacts, raising the question of how to maximize quarantine efficiency. Previous research on periodic quarantines using the susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) and similar models identified optimal duration for periodic quarantines. However, the question of the optimal initiation time for a single quarantine remains unanswered. Here, we use the SIR model in order to determine the optimal quarantine initiation time, by computing the optimal susceptible fraction at the onset of the quarantine, which minimizes the total outbreak size. Our analysis extends from a well-mixed scenario to strongly-heterogeneous social networks. We show that the optimal quarantine initiation time is closely related to the so-called "herd immunity" threshold, occurring at the onset of epidemic decline. Importantly, providing a methodology for identifying the optimal quarantine initiation time across different network structures, entails significant implications for epidemic control.
title Optimal reduction of an epidemic outbreak size via temporary quarantine
topic Statistical Mechanics
Computational Physics
Populations and Evolution
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.11368