Developing a Research-Based Strategy to Combat the Next Coronavirus Pandemic

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the course of COVID-19 with hindsight and use collected data and original research published regarding the pandemic to devise a strategy that would better mitigate the next Coronavirus pandemic. This project targets these specific areas of the mitigation response to COVID-19: Mask Wearing, Social Distancing and Travel Restrictions, Lockdowns and School Shutdowns/Remote learning, Testing/Contact Tracing, and Vaccination Rollout. The analysis of the collected research and data leads to the conclusion that increased mask wearing (along with combatting masking misinformation), increased strictness of social distancing and travel, improvements in testing infrastructure and rollout, reconsideration of school closures, and increased global access to vaccination are among the many ways to better the response to a Coronavirus pandemic in order to reduce the associated social and economic impacts.