Data suggest younger cohorts transmit their infections to less socially mobile older adults
Economist Jeffrey Harris delivers his findings in a preprint paper
Research and Perspectives for the Pandemic
Main Page | Healthcare
ABSTRACT | MEDRXIV | JULY 2, 2020
We analyzed the daily incidence of newly reported COVID-19 cases among adults aged 20-39 years, 40-59 years, and 60 or more years in the sixteen most populous counties of the state of Florida from March 1 through June 27, 2020. In all 16 counties, an increase in reported COVID-19 case incidence was observed in all three age groups soon after the governor-ordered Full Phase 1 reopening went into effect. Trends in testing, hospitalization and mortality do not support the hypothesis that the observed increase in case incidence was merely the result of liberalization of testing criteria. Parameter estimates from a parsimonious two-group heterogeneous SIR model strongly support the hypothesis that younger persons, having first acquired their infections through increasing social contact with their peers, then transmitted their infections to older, less socially mobile individuals.
Full pre-print paper at MedRxiv
Suggested links
Jeffrey Harris
MIT Department of Economics
Q&A with Jeffrey Harris on the evolution of healthcare during the pandemic
Parag Pathak shares new paper about ventilator rationing schemes.