Summary
With respect to reopening the economy as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions, governmental response and messaging have been inconsistent, and policies have varied by state as this is a uniquely polarizing topic. Considering the urgent need to return to normalcy, a method was devised to determine the degree of progress any state has made in containing the spread of COVID-19. Using various measures for each state including mortality, hospitalizations, testing capacity, number of infections and infection rate has allowed for the creation of a composite COVID -19 Reopening Readiness Index. This index can serve as a comprehensive reliable and simple-to-use metric to assess the level of containment in any state and to determine the level of risk in further opening. As states struggle to contain the outbreak and at the same time face great pressure in resuming economic activity, an index that provides a data-driven and objective insight is urgently needed.
Background We are in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. All levels of society and governments are working together to “flatten the curve” of the infection and slow the spread of COVID-19. The universal goal is to mitigate its adverse effects on everyday life across the globe and to reduce the number of fatalities. While a vaccine is being developed, the aim is to limit the number of hospitalizations as not to overwhelm healthcare systems in any given city or country. It is well documented that certain regions and localities are more affected than others. It is imperative that containment efforts utilize state and local data at their disposal to understand the readiness of any given area prior to opening its economy, and the level of restrictions that are needed.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Funding Statement
no funding was asked for nor received.
Author Declarations
I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.
Yes
The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:
Only public CDC data was used
All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived.
Yes
I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).
Yes
I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.
Yes
Data Availability
All of the data is available for public use.