Behaviorally Informed Strategies for Infectious Disease Mitigation: Balancing Incentives and Screening

Abstract

<jats:p>When Screening and Vaccine Incentives Work Better Together</jats:p> <jats:p>When vaccine mandates are not feasible, institutions may rely on vaccination rewards or routine screening of the unvaccinated. The study shows these tools can be more powerful when designed together. Exempting vaccinated individuals turns screening into a nonmonetary incentive while retaining its role in detecting infections. The authors develop a behaviorally informed framework that accounts for vaccine hesitancy, community preferences, limited budgets, and testing capacity. Rather than committing to a rigid plan, the framework learns from surveys and vaccination data and adapts screening as community behavior unfolds. The analysis reveals that incentives and screening are not always substitutes: under some conditions, each strengthens the value of the other. In a realistic college-campus case study using a detailed epidemic model, the adaptive strategy reduced infections and hospitalizations while adhering more closely to budget than incentive-only or screening-only approaches. The findings offer practical guidance for designing flexible mitigation plans for future outbreaks in universities and other close communities.</jats:p>