News

Reports on projections and a glossary to better understand COVID-19

  • Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB)
    Université / Administration centrale et Rectorat
    13 juillet 2020
  • Catégorie
    Université
  • Thème
    Sciences de la vie & médecine

As part of the Research Luxembourg COVID-19 Task Force, several LCSB researchers and colleagues from the work package “Statistical pandemic projections” (WP6) are using their combined expertise to analyse the evolution, impact and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through statistical simulations and computational modelling, this work group, led by Prof. Rudi Balling and Dr Alexander Skupin, provides short- and medium-term projections that can be used to support the healthcare system, identify priorities and facilitate decision-making.

“The results of these continuous modelling efforts, based on data provided by the ministries, are regularly published on the Research Luxembourg website in the form of reports focusing on different aspects,” explains Dr Skupin. For example, amongst the most recent reports, one is dedicated to the analysis of the effectiveness of Large-Scale Testing and another one is analysing the current numbers from the perspective of a potential 2nd wave. The researchers also worked on the exit strategy in Luxembourg and on future deconfinement measures.

All the reports are available for download in the “Publications” section of the Research Luxembourg website.

A glossary to understand specific terminology

Three researchers from the same work package, including Daniele Proverbio, PhD student within the Systems Control group at the LCSB, also developed an extensive glossary of terms related to the coronavirus pandemic.

As, in the course of the pandemic, journalists and the general public have been increasingly confronted with technical terms and concepts that are otherwise only of importance to experts, the three authors put together definitions and short explanations to help readers understand this specific terminology. The glossary encompasses words used to describe the COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, such as reproduction number and contact tracing, but also generic health-related terms (antibody, PCR test, etc.) and topics linked to mathematics, modelling and research in general (clinical trials, test statistic, etc.).

“Effective communication in science relies on the understanding of specific terminology,” underlines Daniele Proverbio. “This is why we created this handy glossary and the reason it covers a wide diversity of scientific fields, just like research at the LCSB and in Luxembourg.”

The full glossary is available on the Science.lu website in EnglishGerman and French.