In August 2020, Professor Shim Eun-ha of SSU College of Natural Sciences studied the infection reproduction index of COVID-19 through repair modeling and simulation. This year, she appeared on Arirang TV, following the YTN Science Channel’s ‘Bravo K-Scientist,’ JTBC’s ‘JTBC Newsroom,’and TV Chosun’s ‘Headquarters Hotline.’
Professor Shim’s study focused on an optimized inoculation plan by considering the initial dose of the vaccine as a repair model, and using the daily data on the date of onset of the disease. Based on these findings, it was possible to present “effective vaccination strategies by age group” and “optimized vaccination measures that consider the initial volume of vaccines.”
According to the results of the study, the vaccination of people aged 60 or older as planned by the current government can reduce the number of confirmed patients by 31 percent, but vaccination of people in their 30s and 40s can lower the number of confirmed patients and deaths by 52 percent. This is because inoculating active people in their 30s and 40s can lower the incidence of secondary infections in their children.
Professor Shim is also studying the trend of confirmed patient numbers in correspondence to the amount of Internet keyword searches related to COVID-19.
