11. Recapitulation

This chapter reviews the coverage of the book, sorting out the models presented and the potential they have relative to pandemic response planning. We began the book discussing the initial view of the impact of COVID-19. It has been much less deadly than the black plague but has contagion properties reminiscent of that dreaded disease. It has created dramatic problems for government health systems and has severely cramped economic performance. As Chap. 1 noted, what is needed are analytic tools to aid in dealing with the pandemic impact on our economies. These analytic tools are not panaceas and certainly won’t cure the problems we face. But they offer tools that might be useful in aiding governments, firms, and individuals to cope with the problems created by pandemics.