Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 5, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancements in Multiplex Detection of Respiratory Viruses
Published on: November 10, 2023
Application of optimal control to the dynamics of COVID-19 disease in South Africa
S P Gatyeni1, C W Chukwu1, F Chirove1
1Mathematics and Applied Mathematics Department, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park Kingsway Campus, 2006, P O Box 524, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Abstract:
SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) belongs to the beta-coronavirus family, which include: the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Since its outbreak in South Africa in March 2020, it has lead to high mortality and thousands of people contracting the virus. Mathematical analysis of a model without controls was done and the basic reproduction number of the COVID-19 for the South African pandemic determined. Permissible controls were introduced and an optimal control problem using the Pontraygain Maximum Principle is formulated. Numerical findings suggest that joint implementation of effective mask usage, physical distancing and active screening and testing, are effective measures to curtail the spread of the disease in the human population. The results obtained in this paper are of public health importance in the control and management of the spread for the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, in South Africa.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Steps in Outbreak Investigation
Causality in Epidemiology
Controls in Experiments
Open and closed-loop control systems
An open-loop control system operates without feedback from the output. It consists of two primary elements: the controller and the controlled process. The controller receives an input signal...
Principles of Disease Surveillance
Feedback control systems
Linear feedback systems are theoretical models that simplify analysis and design. These systems operate under the principle that their output is directly proportional to their input within certain ranges. For instance, an amplifier in a control system behaves linearly as long as the input signal remains within a specific range. However, most physical systems exhibit inherent nonlinearity...

