Peer Review

• The tools are flexible, wide-ranging, and successfully model real-world scenarios
• National and State-level COVID policy analyses are allowed along with a State-by-State comparison (up to 10 states)
• An outbreak tool with doubling times and average daily cases in every county in the US is provided
• A seroprevalence tracker (estimated from either or both vaccine or natural immunity is provided
• A tool that associates outbreaks with NFL and NCAA football events is provided
• Documentation of the policy model is provided
• The policy simulator allows the user to vary the variant (current, ancestral, Delta, or a custom) each of which inputs an appropriate basic reproduction number
• Users can vary vaccine effectiveness
• Users can set interventions to include minimal, current, stay-at-home orders, or lock-down over the next 16 weeks, which can be divided into two different interventions
• Up to three different 16 week strategies can be compared in an analysis
• Analyses produce 9 outputs, each with a clear explanation, including:
  1. Cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths
  2. Number of new COVID-19 deaths each day
  3. Cumulative number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases
  4. Cumulative number of COVID-19 cases (diagnosed and undiagnosed)
  5. Number of new COVID-19 cases diagnosed each day
  6. Number of new COVID-19 cases each day (diagnosed and undiagnosed)
  7. Number of active COVID-19 cases
  8. Number of hospital beds needed for COVID-19
  9. Number of ICU beds needed for COVID-19
• Outputs are given as clear graphs, where the Y-axis can be renders as linear or log and the values on the Y-axis can be rendered as the appropriate scale or per 100,000 scale
• Can easily be modified to include other potential emerging viruses in the future

• Omicron is not mentioned and it is not clear whether "current variants" models omicron, however, the user can set the variant model to "custom combination" and set the R0 to whatever value they deem appropriate
• The program may run slow on some computers (e.g., MacBook Air, M1, 16GB memory)

• Due to the great adaptability and the many settings the user can control, the policy simulator provides an excellent opportunity for students to engage in inquiry learning
• A user guide provide clear instructions and explanations for users
• The output can be downloaded as a .zip file, which expands to a folder with .html files of all graphs, .csv files with associated data, a .pdf file of the timeline, and a .txt Read Me; the .html files are easy to convert to other file types and annotate
• Hovering the mouse pointer over a line on an output graph will give the data for any day of the simulation
• The tools are licensed as Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial, allowing instructors to legally use them in courses
• Very valuable tool for student learning
• Outfile type is in a file type that students are familiar with
• The tool is easy to integrate in to Learning Manegement Systems as an assignment

None.

• Users will find the interface largely intuitive and user friendly with graphical representations
• All buttons and sliders worked as intended
• The interactive maps are sizeable and easy to use
• Analyses were quick to calculate and download
• The tool is fun and imersive
• Results are easy to understand and interperet

• Accessibility information is not included