My work this summer uses data visualization and analysis to understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the transmission of seasonal infectious diseases. Social distancing, increased hygiene awareness, non-pharmaceutical governmental interventions, and other changes in human behavior have substantially impacted the epidemiological course of respiratory and enteric viruses, such as influenza. I am using the seasonality of these viruses as a baseline to control for changes in the 2019-2020 season. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of pandemic responses across countries and states has yielded a vast amount of data on different magnitudes and forms of interventions, along with their effects on disease transmission. Using the results of this comparison, I can evaluate the efficacy of behavioral responses to COVID-19 and their implications on our epidemiological response systems.
