El Aferni A, Guettari M, Hamdouni A. COVID-19 multiwaves as multiphase percolation: a general N-sigmoidal equation to model the spread.
EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL PLUS 2023;
138:393. [PMID:
37192840 PMCID:
PMC10165586 DOI:
10.1140/epjp/s13360-023-04014-0]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
The aim of the current study is to investigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic as a multiphase percolation process. Mathematical equations have been developed to describe the time dependence of the number of cumulative infected individuals, I t , and the velocity of the pandemic, V p t , as well as to calculate epidemiological characteristics. The study focuses on the use of sigmoidal growth models to investigate multiwave COVID-19. Hill, logistic dose response and sigmoid Boltzmann models fitted successfully a pandemic wave. The sigmoid Boltzmann model and the dose response model were found to be effective in fitting the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases over time 2 waves spread (N = 2). However, for multiwave spread (N > 2), the dose response model was found to be more suitable due to its ability to overcome convergence issues. The spread of N successive waves has also been described as multiphase percolation with a period of pandemic relaxation between two successive waves.
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