Combating COVID-19 crisis and predicting the second wave in Europe: an Age-structured modeling.

Abstract

We employ an age-structured susceptible-infected-quarantined-recovered model to simulate the progression of COVID-19 in France, Spain, and Germany. In the absence of a vaccine or conventional treatment, non-pharmaceutical interventions become more valuable, so our model takes into account the efficacy of official social distancing and lockdown measures. Using data from February to July 2020, we make useful predictions for the upcoming months, and further simulate the effect of lifting the lockdown at a later stage. A control model is also proposed and conditions for optimality are also obtained using optimal control theory. Motivated by the recent surge in cases in France and Spain, we also examine the possibility of a second wave of the pandemic. We conclude that further measures need to be taken in these two countries, while Germany is on its way to mitigating the disease.