2022 CONRAD ZUSE YOUTH PRIZE FOR DATA PROCESSING: Computer Simulates Pandemic

The corona pandemic has been going on for more than two years. To combat it, policymakers resorted to a variety of measures – from contact restrictions to school closures to vaccination campaigns. But what have these measures achieved in detail? To answer this question, Noel Friedrich developed a comprehensive computer simulation in which he simulated the coronavirus in a fictitious small town called Coville. At the click of a mouse, he ran through various scenarios of measures, such as a compulsory home office in conjunction with school closures at a vaccination rate of 50 percent. The result of the computer simulations: A high vaccination rate achieved the best effect in the fictitious pandemic fight – a result that is entirely consistent with the findings from reality.