TY - JOUR T1 - COVID-19 Pandemic in India: Through the Lens of Modeling JF - Global Health: Science and Practice JO - GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT SP - 220 LP - 228 DO - 10.9745/GHSP-D-21-00233 VL - 9 IS - 2 AU - Giridhara R. Babu AU - Debashree Ray AU - Ritwik Bhaduri AU - Aritra Halder AU - Ritoban Kundu AU - Gautam I. Menon AU - Bhramar Mukherjee Y1 - 2021/06/30 UR - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/9/2/220.abstract N2 - Key MessagesIndia has devised innovative strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within the constraints of a low-resource setting. India has also made some questionable policy decisions. Lessons learned from the Indian experience for public health, health care, and data infrastructure can be globally valuable. In this commentary, as a team of public health data scientists engaged in modeling the pandemic since early 2020, we reflect on India's journey over the past 1 year.India, the world's largest democracy, declared its first confirmed case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on January 30, 2020. It currently reports Asia's largest number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections and deaths (27.7 million reported cases and 322,384 reported deaths as of May 28, 2021).1 The actual numbers for both infections and deaths likely far exceed what are officially reported.In the past year, India has devised some innovative strategies aiming to reduce COVID-19 spread within the constraints of a low-resource setting. It has also made some questionable policy decisions. Lessons learned from the Indian experience for public health, health care, and data infrastructure can be globally valuable. In this commentary, as a team of public health data scientists engaged in modeling the pandemic since early 2020, we reflect on India's journey over the past year.Epidemiological models help public health planners gauge the future predicted trajectory of epidemics, providing forecasts or estimates for the daily number of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Models operate under various assumptions. They can incorporate hypothetical intervention scenarios and assess their relative impact on disease transmission. Because they may help us calibrate our expectations and resource needs for the future, predictive models have drawn significant attention from the media and the public.2Types of Commonly Used ModelsThere have been many models proposed for the spread of COVID-19 in India. These models … ER -