Scientists scramble to study pandemic, in real time

Scientists scramble to study pandemic, in real time

By Warren CornwallApr. 8, 2020 , 4:20 PM।                                            

Science’s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center.

If pandemic lockdowns have people feeling a bit like lab rats stuck in cages, in some ways that’s exactly what they are.

As the coronavirus touches on virtually every part of life around the globe, social scientists are rushing to suck up real-time data on how people are responding to the unfolding pandemic. Economists are gathering data about supply chains. Political scientists are scrutinizing how government responses track with ideology. Psychologists are monitoring children in after-school programs. Behavioral scientists are surveying thousands of people to see how they respond to information in a crisis.