A vaccine or medication that could shorten the infectious period of Covid-19 in patients, even by one day, may potentially prevent millions of cases and save billions of dollars, according to a new modelling study.
The research, published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology, noted that some vaccines and drugs may have subtler effects by which even if they cannot prevent or cure Covid-19, they may still reduce how long an infected person is contagious.
In the study, scientists including those from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health in the US, assessed the potential value of shortening the infectious period in Covid-19 patients.
The researchers created a computational model that simulates the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 and used it to explore how a vaccine or medication that can reduce the contagious period might alleviate the clinical and economic impact of the disease.
According to the study, reducing the contagious period…