May 23, 2020 | 10:11am
An ambulance rushes a patient to a hospital during the coronavirus pandemic in New York.
Christopher Sadowski
The US could finally be free of the coronavirus in late September, and the whole world can expect to put the pandemic behind them in December, says a group of scientists in Singapore.
A mathematical model created by the Singapore University of Technology and Design is allowing the scientists to predict the future of the virus using data from already confirmed cases and deaths around the world.
Based on “a predictive-monitoring” technique, the model inputs global data which is converted to a bar chart. A curve over the top of the chart displays the trajectory of the disease. At the end of April, predictions showed that the US would be virus-free by Sept. 20 and the UK could see the end of the coronavirus by Aug. 27.
Scientists at the university cautioned that their dates were not exact and that the predictions should not lead to hasty ends of lockdowns around the world.
“Over-optimism based on some predicted end dates is dangerous because it may loosen our disciplines and controls and cause the turnaround of the virus,” they said.
