This past week has been eventful, both in terms of my research progress and the unexpected arrival of a powerful typhoon in Taiwan. The typhoon brought heavy rain and strong winds, leading to the closure of schools and offices in Taipei for two days. Despite the disruptions, I've made significant strides in my project.
Project Progress and Upcoming Interviews
Over the past week, I've been focusing on developing detailed interview plans as part of the qualitative component of my study. The interviews will provide insights into the practical challenges and successes of COVID-19 policy implementation. I've prepared a set of questions for experts from the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics in the U.S. and the Taiwan CDC. These questions cover topics such as the decision-making processes behind policy measures, public compliance with health guidelines, and the coordination between different levels of government and healthcare systems.
In addition to these expert interviews, I am also planning discussions with public health officials and healthcare workers in Taiwan. These interviews aim to understand how policies, especially mask mandates and social distancing measures, are being practiced and enforced on the ground. The focus will be on gathering qualitative data that sheds light on the local context and public perception of these measures.
Quantitative Analysis and Data Collection
On the quantitative side, I've been working with data from the Taiwan CDC Open Data Portal and the U.S. CDC. This includes case numbers, vaccination rates, and policy stringency indices. I'm using Geographical and Temporal Weighted Regression (GTWR) to explore regional differences in COVID-19 outcomes, particularly how various policy measures affect mortality rates. This analysis will help identify which policies have been most effective and under what conditions.
I've also started preparing for survival analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model. This will allow us to examine the time from the onset of the Omicron variant outbreak to infection or death, in relation to policy measures and vaccination status. By analyzing these patterns, we hope to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of different public health strategies.
Looking forward to the Reacta conference this next week!
Here is a photo dump from the park next to my apartment right after the typhoon.