Modelling and Forecasting Covid-19 Fatalities in South Africa using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN)
Abstract
In this study, the ANN approach was applied to
analyze COVID-19 deaths in South Africa. The employed data covers the period
January – December 2020 and the out-of-sample period ranges over the period
January – May 2021. The residuals and forecast evaluation criteria (Error, MSE
and MAE) of the applied model indicate that the model is quite stable. The
results of the study indicate that that COVID-19 mortality in South Africa will basically range between
100 and 300 deaths per day over the out-of-sample period.
Amongst other suggested policy directions, there is need for the
government of South Africa to ensure adherence to safety guidelines while
continuing to create awareness about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Country : Zimbabwe
1 Mr. Takudzwa. C. Maradze2 Dr. Smartson. P. NYONI3 Mr. Thabani NYONI
Independent Researcher, Harare, Zimbabwe
ZICHIRe Project, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
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