Risk management in the pandemic: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Even with the COVID-19 vaccine readily available throughout much of the country, and the age ranges of those who can receive it expanding, research shows that in the face of a new wave or variant of the coronavirus, the tools that we used at the onset of the pandemic, masking and social distancing, are still key to helping mitigate the spread of the virus. Joining me to share his research to help develop a model for social distancing policies to prevent surges in new cases and hospitalizations is Dave Morton with Northwestern University.

So we know, especially in our community, that when it comes to managing risk you don’t put all your eggs in one basket. So that is, we shouldn’t put all our eggs in the vaccine basket. We really do need to invest in multiple tools and that includes testing, the kind of community mitigation strategies that you mentioned, as well as vaccines and boosters.

Interviewed this episode:

Dave Morton

Northwestern University

Dave Morton is the Chair of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences and the David A. and Karen Richards Sachs Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences with Northwestern University. His research interests include stochastic optimization and its application to public health, energy, and security.