A vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 is the only long-term solution to the current global health crisis. When a vaccine does become available, there is sure to be intense scrutiny about how to best deploy it. There will also be questions about how other non-pharmaceutical interventions can be relaxed as vaccination is rolled out. Thus, the goal of this project is to inform SARS-CoV-2 vaccine deployment by determining the relative importance of direct and indirect transmission pathways, identifying viral immune escape and gauge its epidemiological consequences, and determine the population-level impact and optimal allocation of a future SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. We also aim to help inform policies on other ongoing mitigation and control strategies as vaccination is rolled out.

This study is a national survey that will allow us to estimate the proportion of adults in the United States that are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, and the proportion that has had it in the past and may now have immunity. Using surveys and home testing, we will estimate these figures, conduct disease modeling, and develop a website to provide information to the public.

Developing intervention strategies that can reduce transmission and alleviate the impacts of social distancing is an essential goal of near- and long-term public health responses to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This project combines epidemic models of COVID-19 with serological testing to develop actionable policies to identify recovered individuals who have protective antibodies to SARS-CoV-2019 as a means to (i) reduce infection transmission; (ii) facilitate shield immunity; (iii) enable safer return to normal economic activity.