July 31, 2020

When Is SARS-CoV-2 in Your Shopping List?

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Modeling and Prediction

• Using agent-based models, Hernandez-Mejia et al. test the effects of various distancing rules and population sizes on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a small- to medium-size supermarket. Policies that require at least 1 meter (3.3 feet) between shoppers and limit the number of shoppers to 15 in a store of about 30 m by 16 m (100 feet by 52 feet) may reduce transmission by 90%. The model did not incorporate the use of face coverings. 

Hernandez-Mejia and Hernandez-Vargas. (July 2020). When Is SARS-CoV-2 in Your Shopping List? Mathematical Biosciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mbs.2020.108434