A novel comparison framework for epidemiological strategies applied to age-based restrictions versus horizontal lockdowns

During an epidemic, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, policy-makers are faced with the decision of implementing effective, yet socioeconomically costly intervention strategies, such as school and workplace closure, physical distancing, etc. In this study, we propose a rigorous definition of epidemiological strategies. In addition, we develop a scheme for comparing certain epidemiological strategies, with the goal of providing policy-makers with a tool for their systematic comparison. Then, we put the suggested scheme to the test by employing an age-based epidemiological compartment model introduced in a previous work of the authors, coupled with data from the literature, in order to compare the effectiveness of age-based and horizontal interventions. In general, our findings suggest that these two are comparable, mainly at a low or medium level of intensity.