Talkboctopus Seminar Series - S1 E1 - Josh Weitz

Season 1 Episode 1 - June 10, 2020
Speaker: Joshua Weitz
Talk Title: Modeling Shield Immunity — From Concept to Implementation

Abstract: Developing intervention strategies that can reduce transmission and alleviate the impacts of social distancing is an essential goal of long-term public health responses to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In this talk I will describe our efforts to develop models of ‘shield immunity’, i.e., leveraging serological testing and the increased interaction rates of recovered individuals to reduce new chains of transmission and foster safer economic re-engagement. I will then discuss initial steps to translate these principles into actions, including connecting serological test analytics and developing feasibility models for implementation in pilot settings.

Affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology; School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology
Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology; Associate Editor, Journal of Theoretical Biology
Senior Editor, ISME J