( 2020) argue that the cumulative mortality rate relative to the general population should also be tracked during the course of the outbreak. Alternative approaches have thus been proposed to address this flaw. Such a problem is particularly true in the developing world due to resource constraints on testing capacity (Lee 2020). The latter factor puts a natural upper limit to the official number of cases and may thus provide a distorted picture of the extent of the outbreak. In the COVID-19 pandemic case, the use of epidemic curves is hampered by limited testing capacity or compliance. Relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions can be justified by a downward trend in cases, while re-imposition of stringent lockdowns can be done if a renewed surge seems imminent.
In the current pandemic, real-time monitoring of case statistics is being used in many countries to guide lockdown measures and adjustment. Epidemic curves that plot the number of cases against time are the most common graphical tools for displaying and analyzing dynamic trends in an outbreak (Mathieu and Sodahlon 2017). These measures have been largely successful in “flattening the curve,” thus preventing healthcare systems from being inundated by COVID-19 patients (Feng et al. With the limited availability of vaccines and therapeutics, most countries have resorted to implementing non-pharmaceutical interventions (i.e., community quarantines and lockdowns) to stem the spread of the virus. The COVID-19 pandemic has escalated into a major global health crisis that has infected over a hundred million people and claimed the lives of millions of victims to date.