Models for invasive species can also apply to COVID-19. It is strange to think of the current pandemic in such a light but there are many similarities between the two. Procedures that prevent the spread of invasive plants and animals will also apply to prevent the spread of COVID-19, procedures that were unfortunately not applied aggressively or quick enough. To illustrate how similar COVID-19 is to an invasive species consider the following graphic:
Figure 1: Stages of a Zoonotic viral Epidemic compared to those of a biological invasion. Taken from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2020.05.004
Note the many similarities between the two. It is for this reason that many of the actions you would take for containing an invasive species will also apply to COVID. Of course, given that we are still in a pandemic, these actions were not implemented properly or at all. To give an example, to prevent an invasive species from growing into a problem too large to handle it is best to contain them before they get the chance to procreate and spread, and in the case of COVID, closing borders and isolating the infected. However, because COVID was handled poorly it has become something that will likely never go away and the best thing to do now is to get vaccinated so when you do contract it the consequences will be minor and non-life threatening.
Works Cited
Nuñez, M. A., Pauchard, A., & Ricciardi, A. (2020). Invasion science and the global spread of SARS-COV-2. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 35(8), 642–645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2020.05.004
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 