On Dr. Pastore y Piontti’s computer monitor, it resembles a complex electrical circuit, with multicolored wires and cables to and from packed hubs of interaction. “Think of it like tracing all regular interactions in the video game SimCity,” she said. From this she subtracts out of all the school interactions, revealing an estimate of how many fewer interactions — and potential new infections — would occur by closing certain schools. “Each country, each state, can be very different, depending on the patterns of interaction and compositions of households,” Dr. Pastore y Piontti said. The lab is part of a consortium that advises the C.D.C., and fields continual calls from infectious-disease mapping operations around the world.

Source: New York Times March 13, 2020 12:11 UTC