Interaction and Infection: Simulating non-pharmaceutical inventions against the spread of a viral disease from a social science perspective.

The spreading of viruses depends not only on its biological properties or the availability of effective pharmaceutical remedies but also on human behaviour. Since there are currently no pharmaceutical measures available against CoVID-19, much of the current discussion is on non-pharmaceutical measures such as social distancing. Whether and to what extent these approaches are effective critically depends on human behaviour: In order to contain the spreading of CoViD-19, a sufficient number of individuals must change their behaviour. The authors Dominik Klein, Johannes Marx, Daniel Mayerhoffer & Jürgen Sirsch offer an interactive computer simulation that compares different policy measures, such as social distancing and quarantine, in terms of their potential for virus containment. In the simulation, social distancing with high compliance is sufficient for containing the spread of CoViD-19. Alternatively, putting the infected into strict quarantine reaches similar results, albeit requiring even higher levels of compliance. The model also offers insights regarding the effectiveness of other measures, such as tracing contacts of infected persons.