Over the past 16 years, the MACCDC has innovated, developed, and sought to create an original experience for not only the student teams, but all participants. Introducing themes that imitate the world around us adds a dimension of realism and fun, while at the same time, highlighting real life issues occurring in our world: free and secure elections, natural disasters, even Nerf gun fights :slight_smile: While 2020 was fraught with many challenges that were considered for the 2021 MACCDC scenario, the COVID-19 global pandemic seems obvious.
The National Emergency Response Division (N.E.R.D.) of an international health organization has been exceptionally busy dealing with the global health crisis. As such, they have had to expand to support the inordinate amounts of data that is flooding each of its eight geographic locations throughout the U.S. Protecting the integrity of the data is critical, but when the data affects the delivery of health services to the public, the job of N.E.R.D. becomes even more mission critical.
The student Blue Teams will stand on the front lines of technology, alongside various healthcare providers. The main task at hand will be to ensure that pandemic-related data from state departments of health are accurate and delivered quickly. Information on outbreak locations, promising interventions, efficacy of testing, mortality rates, and other related statistics are critical so physicians, public health officials, and government entities can make informed decisions about resource allocations. Loss or inaccurate information can lead to tragic consequences. Vigilance is a must – be smart, be strong, be safe.