‘The Pandemic Is a Prisoner’s Dilemma Game’
Throughout the past two years, the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way that we as a society conduct our lives. Most people share the common goal of eradicating the pandemic, and allowing life to return to normal. This includes infectious disease specialists, who have been constantly tracking the spread of the virus in order to get a better understanding on how to stop it. Recently, a married couple including an ecologist and a mathematical biologist began studying the virus, and applied game theory to try to decide what vaccination strategy would be best.
Dr. Bauch, a mathematical biologist compared the pandemic to a prisoner’s dilemma. There are multiple strategies each person can take while approaching the pandemic, or in this case game. Each strategy will have a different outcome for the individual, and also the group. If everyone takes the safest strategy and quarantines until a vaccine is available, they receive no benefits now, but more later. If the majority of people take precaution and follow what is being asked of them, they will still protect the minority. Everyone still gets the benefits later, but the people who choose to be unsafe now also receive the benefit of extra freedoms now. If the majority decides to be unsafe, however, they will receive a brief benefit now, but will need to make up for that later when the virus has not been eradicated.
The article discusses game theory, which has been taught in class. It even references a Nash equilibrium between self interest and the common good, although it is also mentioned that altruism does have an effect on the vaccination numbers, leading more people to become vaccinated for the common good.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/health/virus-vaccine-game-theory.html