|
|
@@ -5,14 +5,88 @@
|
|
|
% Part: conclusions
|
|
|
% Description:
|
|
|
% summary of the content in this chapter
|
|
|
-% Version: 01.01.2012
|
|
|
+% Version: 01.09.2024
|
|
|
% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|
|
|
\chapter{Conclusions 5}
|
|
|
\label{chap:conclusions}
|
|
|
|
|
|
+The states with the highest transmission rate
|
|
|
+values are Thuringia, Saxony Anhalt and Mecklenburg West-Pomerania. It is also,
|
|
|
+visible that all six of the eastern states have a higher transmission rate than
|
|
|
+Germany. These results may be explainable with the ratio of vaccinated individuals\footnote{\url{https://impfdashboard.de/}}.
|
|
|
+The eastern state have a comparably low complete vaccination ratio, accept for
|
|
|
+Berlin. While Berlin has a moderate vaccination ratio, it is also a hub of
|
|
|
+mobility, which means that contact between individuals happens much more often.
|
|
|
+This is also a reason for Hamburg being a state with an above national standard
|
|
|
+rate of transmission. Bremen has the highest ratio of vaccinated individuals,
|
|
|
+this might be a reason for the it having the lowest transmission of all states.\\
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+% -------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
\section{Further Work}
|
|
|
\label{sec:furtherWork}
|
|
|
+Our findings demonstrate that with our methods enable the quantification of the
|
|
|
+course of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany using the data provided by the
|
|
|
+Robert Koch Institute. Additionally, we present the limitations of our work.
|
|
|
+The SIR model is subject to numerous limitations. For instance, it does not
|
|
|
+account for individuals, who may be immune due to the vaccination status or
|
|
|
+those who are not infectious due to quarantine. In this section, we explore
|
|
|
+epidemiological models that illustrate these dynamics observed in real-world
|
|
|
+pandemics and recommend further investigation for Germany. First, we examine
|
|
|
+extensions of the SIR models, then we focus on agent-based models (ABMs).
|
|
|
|
|
|
% -------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
-% insert further sections if necessary
|
|
|
+\subsection{Further Compartmental Models}
|
|
|
+As our results demonstrate, the SIR model is capable of approximating the
|
|
|
+dynamics of real-world pandemics. However, the model is not without
|
|
|
+limitations. As previously stated, the SIR model assumes that recovered
|
|
|
+individuals remain immune and does not account for the reduction of exposure of
|
|
|
+susceptible individuals through the introduction of non-pharmaceutical
|
|
|
+mitigation policies, such as social distancing policies. These shortcomings can
|
|
|
+be addressed by incorporating additional compartments and transmission rates
|
|
|
+into the model. For example, the SEIRD model incorporates an \emph{Exposed}
|
|
|
+group and subdivides the \emph{Removed} group into \emph{Dead} and
|
|
|
+\emph{Recovered} compartments. Furthermore, this adds four additional rates to
|
|
|
+the model: the contact rate, representing the average number of contacts
|
|
|
+between infectious and susceptible people with a high probability of infection;
|
|
|
+the manifestation index, indicating the proportion of individuals exposed to
|
|
|
+the disease who will become infectious; the incubation rate, measuring the time
|
|
|
+required for exposed individuals to become infectious; and the infection
|
|
|
+fatality rate, quantifying the fraction of individuals who succumb to the
|
|
|
+disease. As Doerre and Doblhammer~\cite{Doerre2022} show for Germany using a
|
|
|
+numerical approximation method, for an SIERD model that they specialize to be
|
|
|
+age- and gender-specific, that it shows the impact of non-pharmaceutical
|
|
|
+mitigation policies. In their work, Cooke and van den Driessche~\cite{Cooke1996}
|
|
|
+propose the SEIRS model with two delays. This is model is capable of
|
|
|
+approximating diseases, that have an immune period, after which the recovered
|
|
|
+individual becomes susceptible again. These are just a few examples of
|
|
|
+the numerous modifications of the basic SIR model that can be used to
|
|
|
+approximate and consequently quantify an pandemic.
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+% -------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+\subsection{Agent based models}
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+While compartmental models, such as the SIR model, look at the population as a
|
|
|
+divided group, with each group representing a specific characterization that
|
|
|
+all inhabitants of that group share, an \emph{Agent-Based Model} (ABM) sets its
|
|
|
+focus on the individual. Each individual, or agent, has specific attributes
|
|
|
+that determine its behavior and interactions with other agents during the
|
|
|
+simulation. As Gilbert~\cite{Gilbert2010} states, ABMs simulate the behavior of
|
|
|
+large groups, with each individual following simple rules. Kerr
|
|
|
+\etal~\cite{Kerr2021} put forth a simulation tool, \emph{Covasim}, which they
|
|
|
+base on an ABM. The ABM employs local data, including demographic data, disease
|
|
|
+incidence data from the region, and contact data for household, schools and
|
|
|
+workplaces, to define its simulation for a specific region. In their work,
|
|
|
+Maziarz and Zach~\cite{Maziarz2020} address the criticism levied against ABMs
|
|
|
+for simplifying the dynamics and lacking the empirical support for the
|
|
|
+assumptions it they make. The authors utilize an ABM and the data specific to
|
|
|
+Australia to demonstrate the efficacy of ABMs in portraying the dynamics of the
|
|
|
+COVID-19 pandemic. They further state that ABMs can serve as serve as a tool
|
|
|
+for assessing the impact of non-pharmaceutical mitigation policies. This
|
|
|
+illustrates that ABMs play a distinct role in analyzing the COVID-19 pandemic.
|
|
|
+As the data situation has evolved, it is imperative to investigate the
|
|
|
+potential of utilizing ABMs as a tool to assess the pandemic's course.
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+% -------------------------------------------------------------------
|