A two diffusion stochastic model for the spread of the new corona virus SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

We propose a refined version of the stochastic SEIR model for epidemic of the new corona virus SARS-Cov-2, causing the COVID-19 disease, taking into account the spread of the virus due to the regular infected individuals (transmission coefficient β), hospitalized individuals (transmission coefficient lβ, l > 0) and superspreaders (transmission coefficient β′). The model is constructed from the corresponding ordinary differential model by introducing two independent environmental white noises in transmission coefficients for above mentioned classes - one noise for infected and hospitalized individuals and the other for superspreaders. Therefore, the model is defined as a system of stochastic differential equations driven by two independent standard Brownian motions. Existence and uniqueness of the global positive solution is proven, and conditions under which extinction and persistence in mean hold are given. The theoretical results are illustrated via numerical simulations.