Vol. 16 No. 1 (2025)
Studies

The Importance of Agent-Based Models in the Management of the Coronavirus Epidemic

PDF (Magyar)
István Zoltán Reguly
Pázmány Péter Catholic University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61177/HISZ.2025.16.1.5

Published 25-06-2025

Keywords

  • epidemic,
  • interventional planning,
  • agent-based models

Copyright (c) 2025 István Reguly

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic underscored the vital need for adaptable and precise epidemic modelling tools. While traditional compartmental models were of crucial importance at the beginning of the epidemic, their limitations soon became apparent. Agent-based models have several advantages: they have much more fine-grained spatial and temporal resolution, and they can model the behaviours of individuals more accurately, therefore they can represent the complex dynamics of society better. In this study, we give an overview of the advantages of agent-based models, as well as our experiences deploying them, with a particular focus on age-stratified interventions, lockdowns, and other non-pharmaceutical interventions not easily modeled with compartmental models. We highlight the importance of calibrating to and validating with real-world data, and the challenges involved. Finally, we present the work and experiences of the epidemic modelling group at the university.

PDF (Magyar)

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