Brief of the model:

The model predicts the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Burnie, Tasmania area. It is imperative to clarify that this model was developed from the SEIR model (Susceptible, Infected, Infected, Recovered). The spread of this pandemic is driven by a combination of infection rates, mortality rates, and recovery rates from the virus itself, as well as government policies.

For COVID-19 itself, vaccination directly reduces the infection rate, thereby reducing the mortality rate of COVID-19 patients and the reduction of confirmed cases. In other words, if the local population is adequately vaccinated, everyday life, shopping, tourism, and even national borders will be open rather than in a closed border situation.

Assumption of the model:

The model simulated based on different rates, including Infecting rate, Death Rate, Test Rate, Immunity Loss Rate and Recovery Rate. And, this model lists six elements of government policy, which including border closure, travel ban, social distancing, business restriction, self-quarantine, and vaccination schedule.

Besides, the model considers three economic entities in the Burnie area, one in the brick-and-mortar industry and online business industry. Government policies have somewhat reduced COVID-19 infections. Still, they have also at the same time, online businesses played an essential role in stimulating local economic activity during the pandemic. At the same time, however, online businesses played an indispensable role in promoting regional economic activity during the pandemic.

The prediction model is for reference only, and there may be differences between the actual cases and the model.

Insights of the model:

Due to the high infection and low recovery rates and timely government policy interventions, the number of susceptible individuals changes dramatically in the first four weeks. However, the number of sensitive individuals continues to decline after this period, but the decline is not significant. Secondly, with the implementation of government policies, the number of suspected patients who tested negative for medical follow-up continued to rise, implying that government policy interventions directly affect COVID-19.

Overview:

Overall, this analysis showed a COVID-19 outbreak in Burnie, the government policies to curtail that, and some of the impacts it is having on the Burnie economy.

Variables

The simulation made use of the variables such as; Covid-19: (1): Infection rate. (2): Recovery rate. (3): Death rate. (4): Immunity loss rate etc. 

Assumptions:

From the model, it is apparent that government health policies directly affect the economic output of Burnie. A better health policy has proven to have a better economic condition for Burnie and verse versa.

In the COVID-19 model, some variables are set at fixed rates, including the immunity loss rate, recovery rate, death rate, infection rate, and case impact rate, as this is normally influenced by the individual health conditions and social activities.

Moving forward, we decided to set the recovery rate to 0.7, which is a rate above the immunity loss rate of 0.5, so, the number of susceptible could be diminished over time.

Step 1: Try to set all value variables at their lowest point and then stimulate. 

Outcome: the number of those Infected are– 135; Recovered – 218; Cases – 597; Death – 18,175; GDP – 10,879.

Step 2: Try to increase the variables of Health Policy, Quarantine, and Travel Restriction to 0.03, others keep the same as step 1, and simulate

Outcome: The number of those Infected – 166 (up); Recovered – 249 (up); Cases – 554 (down); Death – 18,077 (down); GDP – 824 (down).

With this analysis, it is obvious that the increase of health policy, quarantine, and travel restriction will assist in increase recovery rate, a decrease in confirmed cases, a reduction in death cases or fatality rate, but a decrease in Burnie GDP.

Step 3: Enlarge the Testing Rate to 0.4, variable, others, maintain the same as step 2, and simulate

Outcome: It can be seen that the number of Infected is down to – 152; those recovered down to – 243; overall cases up to – 1022; those that died down to–17,625; while the GDP remains – 824.

In this step, it is apparent that the increase of testing rate will assist to increase the confirmed cases.

Step 4: Try to change the GDP Growth Rate to 0.14, then Tourism Growth Rate to 0.02, others keep the same as step 3, and then simulate the model

Outcome: what happens is that the Infected number – 152 remains the same; Recovered rate– 243 the same; Number of Cases – 1022 (same); Death – 17,625 (same); but the GDP goes up to– 6,632. 

This final step made it obvious that the increase of GDP growth rate and tourism growth rate will help to improve the overall GDP performance of Burnie's economy.