Currently, Dr. Kirpich, Dr. Perez Tchernov, Dr. Chowell and Dr. Skums are collaborating with other faculty and students on a project titled "Clustering-Based Multi-Characteristic Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 Epidemiology in Europe." This research aims to re-evaluate long-term mitigation strategies, including vaccination policies and quarantine measures, by addressing several key public concerns. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to analyze a broad range of country parameters over an extended period.
This study will focus on exploring the relationships among COVID-19 incidence, mortality, vaccination rates, genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOC), and intrinsic characteristics of countries throughout the years 2020 and 2021. The intrinsic characteristics will encompass pre-pandemic cross-country mobility data, as well as aggregated socio-demographic and public health information obtained from 44 European countries. The findingds have been sumbmitted for a publication.