Pandemic Informatics: Preparation, Robustness, and Resilience; Vaccine Distribution, Logistics, and Prioritization; and Variants of Concern

Abstract: Infectious diseases cause more than 13 million deaths a year, worldwide. Globalization, urbanization, climate change, and ecological pressures have significantly increased the risk of a global pandemic. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic-the first since the H1N1 outbreak more than a decade ago and the worst since the 1918 influenza pandemic-illustrates these matters vividly. More than 47M confirmed infections and 1M deaths have been reported worldwide as of November 4, 2020 and the global markets have lost trillions of dollars. The pandemic will continue to have significant disruptive impacts upon the United States and the world for years; its secondary and tertiary impacts might be felt for more than a decade. An effective strategy to reduce the national and global burden of pandemics must: 1) detect timing and location of occurrence, taking into account the many interdependent driving factors; 2) anticipate public reaction to an outbreak, including panic behaviors that obstruct responders and spread contagion; 3) and develop actionable policies that enable targeted and effective responses.