How network science could revolutionize pandemic vaccination strategies

This project won the "Novel research (qualitative)" prize on our Pandemics (Sept 2024) course. The text below is an excerpt from the final project.

Pandemics can have devastating effects on society, as we’ve witnessed most recently with the COVID-19 crisis. And according to scientists, the question is not if there will be another pandemic, but when. One of our best tools for fighting pandemics are vaccines. To prepare for potential upcoming disease outbreaks, enormous efforts are focused on accelerating the development, validation, and production of vaccines, so the population can get protected as quickly as possible.

Yet, one crucial aspect is still largely overlooked: the vaccination strategy itself.

In the event of a pandemic, our instinct is to vaccinate the most vulnerable people first, as soon as a vaccine becomes available. But, what if I told you that vaccinating just a small, specific group of people could stop the propagation of a disease more effectively—and save more lives?

In this article, I dive deeper into a counter-intuitive vaccination strategy rooted in network science, exploring the mechanisms, challenges, and ethical questions it raises - questions that are crucial to consider before the next pandemic strikes.

Who is this article for? Policymakers, who need to think through vaccination strategies now, but also the general public, so everyone, because this topic addresses choices that affect all of society.

Could this alternative vaccination strategy reshape how we fight pandemics? Let’s find out together.

Full project

You can view the full project here.