## GREAT Day 2021

Poster

April 2021

#### Abstract

When COVID-19 first reached the United States the virus impacted the various states differently. By determining the initial rate of increase of the disease for each state, the basic reproduction number, can be used to determine how contagious the disease is. The basic reproduction number, denoted as $\mathcal{R}_0$, is the average number of secondary cases produced by one infectious individual in an entirely acceptable population. Using the $\mathcal{R}_0$ value determined from data collected from the state of New York, we construct SIR/SEIR models to quantify the effects of social behavior, like social distancing and wearing masks, and the relation to how the pandemic has evolved.

When COVID-19 first reached the United States the virus impacted the various states differently. By determining the initial rate of increase of the disease for each state, the basic reproduction number, can be used to determine how contagious the disease is. The basic reproduction number, denoted as $\mathcal{R}_0$, is the average number of secondary cases produced by one infectious individual in an entirely acceptable population. Using the $\mathcal{R}_0$ value determined from data collected from the state of New York, we construct SIR/SEIR models to quantify the effects of social behavior, like social distancing and wearing masks, and the relation to how the pandemic has evolved.