Reported in a Medical Press article, a team of infectious disease modelers at Northeastern University has been answering the question “when will the pandemic be over” since January. The group has been developing a set of predictive models to project the future of the outbreak in various scenarios for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of a network of expert disease modeling teams across the country. Their results guide policymakers’ decisions on when, how, and how quickly to lift pandemic restrictions.

During a recent public briefing, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the CDC said, “something I’m often asked is when will this pandemic be over and when will we go back to normal”. “The models forecasted some really good news, and an important reminder, the reality is it all depends on the actions we take now”.

The alignment of the scenarios and real data is a hopeful sign, as the models suggest that something resembling a “normal life” could resume by July in the U.S. if people proceed cautiously said Alessandro Vespignani, Sternberg Family distinguished university professor physics, computer scient and health sciences, and director of the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University. Stay well and stay tuned!