Originally published on January 11, 2021 3:36 pm
Only a vaccine will save America from the COVID -19 pandemic. At least that s the opinion of nearly all public health officials.
Obviously, vaccine manufacturers are critical to any vaccine campaign. But there s another group that plays a less obvious but still crucial role in making sure vaccines do what they re intended: mathematicians.
Even if the Biden administration releases all available doses of the two authorized COVID-19 vaccines, for a while at least, supplies will remain limited. How best to use that limited supply is a question mathematicians can help answer. Mathematical models are very, very useful to guide policy, says Laura Matrajt, a builder of mathematical models at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. They can help with decisions about who gets the vaccine first when supplies are limited.
Audio: Math Problem: What s The Best Strategy For COVID-19 Vaccination? scpr.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from scpr.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Octavio Jones/Getty Images
toggle caption Octavio Jones/Getty Images
Older adults and first responders wait in line to receive a COVID-19 vaccine late last month at the Lakes Regional Library in Fort Myers, Fla. Octavio Jones/Getty Images
Only a vaccine will save America from the COVID -19 pandemic. At least that s the opinion of nearly all public health officials.
Obviously, vaccine manufacturers are critical to any vaccine campaign. But there s another group that plays a less obvious but still crucial role in making sure vaccines do what they re intended: mathematicians.
Even if the Biden administration releases all available doses of the two authorized COVID-19 vaccines, for a while at least, supplies will remain limited. How best to use that limited supply is a question mathematicians can help answer.
Math Problem: What s The Best Strategy For COVID-19 Vaccination? | NPR & Houston Public Media houstonpublicmedia.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from houstonpublicmedia.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.