University of California Health and the California Department of Public Health will launch a data modeling consortium to help hospital administrators and public health officials make decisions based on timely, accurate insights.
About 150 UC faculty members specializing in epidemiology, infectious diseases, economics, statistics, computer science, ecology and data modeling will work with data modelers and officials from the state's public health department to organize information that will help inform decisions about the state's pandemic response.
The consortium, announced Feb. 9, will release short-term predictions for COVID-19 case rates, hospitalizations and ICU occupancy. It will also offer scenario models that quantify the effects of possible public health measures, COVID-19 vaccine distribution strategies, modeling to better inform officials about the pandemic's economic effects and equity analytics for a better understanding of COVID-19 disparities.