Estimation of reproduction numbers in real time: Conceptual and statistical challenges

UNSPECIFIED (2022) Estimation of reproduction numbers in real time: Conceptual and statistical challenges. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A Statistics in Society, 185 (51). S112-S130. ISSN 0964-1998

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Abstract

The reproduction number R $$ R $$ has been a central metric of the COVID‐19 pandemic response, published weekly by the UK government and regularly reported in the media. Here, we provide a formal definition and discuss the advantages and most common misconceptions around this quantity. We consider the intuition behind different formulations of R $$ R $$ , the complexities in its estimation (including the unavoidable lags involved), and its value compared to other indicators (e.g. the growth rate) that can be directly observed from aggregate surveillance data and react more promptly to changes in epidemic trend. As models become more sophisticated, with age and/or spatial structure, formulating R $$ R $$ becomes increasingly complicated and inevitably model‐dependent. We present some models currently used in the UK pandemic response as examples. Ultimately, limitations in the available data streams, data quality and time constraints force pragmatic choices to be made on a quantity that is an average across time, space, social structure and settings. Effectively communicating these challenges is important but often difficult in an emergency.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A Statistics in Society
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2000/2002
Subjects:
?? original articleoriginal articlesgrowth ratereal‐time estimationreproduction numberseconomics and econometricssocial sciences (miscellaneous)statistics and probabilitystatistics, probability and uncertainty ??
ID Code:
179943
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
30 Nov 2022 12:00
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
15 Jul 2024 23:18