Lessons from movement ecology for the return to work: Modeling contacts and the spread of COVID-19.

ABSTRACT: Human behavior (movement, social contacts) plays a central role in the spread of pathogens like SARS-CoV-2. The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 was driven by global human movement, and initial lockdown measures aimed to localize movement and contact in order to slow spread. Thus, movement and contact patterns need to be explicitly considered when making reopening decisions, especially regarding return to work. Here, as a case study, we consider the initial stages of resuming research at a large research university, using approaches from movement ecology and contact network epidemiology. First, we develop a dynamical pathogen model describing movement between home and work; we show that limiting social contact, via reduced people or reduced time in the workplace are fairly equivalent strategies

SUBMITTER: Shaw AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7822505 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature