The Italian Statistical Society (SIS) aims to coordinate and promote the skills of its members at national and international level relating to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. For this reason, a coordination task force was created, led by Prof. Monica Pratesi – and by the members of the SIS and young SIS board of directors.

A key objective of the coordination is to ensure that SIS can contribute on statistical issues during the Covid-19 pandemic. For this reason, the proposed initiatives involve not only the task force but a wider network of SIS members active on Covid-19 and experts in different areas of statistics. The expertise of the society in the Covid-19 related areas is publicly recognized and includes the design of data collection, evaluation models, forecasting and tracking studies, and other areas. The Board of Directors of SIS has prepared a statement on Statistics and Covid-19 and Statistics and data science that we disseminate together with a reflection by Prof. Domenico Piccolo (In Italian: Link).

More specifically, SIS aims to:

- Support the production of data-driven analyses
- Emphasize the importance of fundamental statistical principles and best statistical practices in relation to the analysis of observed data
- Contribute to the planning of future data collection
- Increase public understanding of statistical issues related to Covid-19.
 

To date, contributions from the President and SIS members active on Covid-19 include:

1.Speeches by ex President Monica Pratesi:

- ANSA press releases (In Italian: Link)
- Interview with the newspaper "il Mattino" (In Italian: Link)
- Interview with "Unithelma" (In Italian: Link)
- Facebook event "CoVid-19: Le nostre conoscenze tra biologia e statistica" (Link)
- Event "Parlare chiaro: i rischi della "confusione dei numeri"", Polytechnic University of Marche. (Participants: Gian Carlo Blangiardo – President of ISTAT, Monica Pratesi - Ex President of the Italian Statistical Society, Francesco M. Chelli - President of the Italian Statistical Demography Society and Gian Luca Gregori - UNIVPM Rector) (Link)
- Video interview "Cosa possono fare gli statistici per capire di più l’epidemia Covid-19?", MaddMaths! (Participants: Monica Pratesi - ex President of the Italian Statistics Society - University of Pisa, Massimo Attanasio - Councilor of the Italian Statistics Society - University of Palermo) (Link)

2. Collection of articles and interviews relating to Covid-19 by the SIS Board of Directors, published in newspapers, scientific journals, national and international blogs. link)

3. Public national coordination meetings to update members and discuss ongoing activities by the scientific community. (Link)

4. Letters to international companies operating in the field of statistics for international coordination relating to probabilistic investigations aimed at issues relating to covid-19 (possible topics: prevalence, economic implications, citizens' well-being). IASS, Eurostat, Swiss stats Society

5. Contacts with Italian National Institutions:

- Letter to the President of the “Istituto Superiore Sanità” Silvio Brusaferro, to the Minister for digital innovation Paola Pisano and to the director of civil protection Angelo Borrelli (in Italian: pdf)

- SIS Statements (in italian: Covid 19, Statistics and Data Science)

- Patronage activity in the Prime Minister 's Office .

6. Patronage for projects submitted by SIS members in national calls for interest related to prevention, diagnostics and monitoring for the containment and contrast of the spread of Covid-19 throughout the national territory.
Link

7. Methodological collaboration in the serological sample survey conducted by ISTAT and the Ministry of Health. SIS is represented by the  ex President Monica Pratesi, the coordinator of the SIS S2G Group Maria Giovanna Ranalli, Piero Falorsi and Elena Stanghellini. Istat is represented by the President Giancarlo Blangiardo, Linda Laura Sabbadini (Central Director and scientific coordinator of all the research and investigations related to the coronavirus emergency in the socio-economic, demographic and health fields), Orietta Luzi (central director of methodologies) and Stefano Falorsi . The group also includes Francesco Bartolucci and Giuseppe Costa. The interaction took place on the sample design level, including the possibility of predicting longitudinal returns or on a subsample of the population (about 20 thousand) or on defined targets of interest from the policy point of view. (in italian: Link)

8. Project for a sample survey on the spread of the Covid-19 infection in the Municipality of Fara in Sabina at the request of the Municipality. The SIS members Fabio Divino, Alessio Farcomeni, Giovanna Jona Lasinio , Gianfranco Lovison, Antonello Maruotti (StatGroup-19, Facebook) deal with the collaboration of the ex President Monica Pratesi, the member Daniela Cocchi and Sonia Petrone . The working group is developing the sample design and a questionnaire to be associated with the health part of the sampling.

9. Mapping of members' skills. SIS started a process of mapping the skills of its members in order to consolidate its presence in the territories and in relations with the world of work and research, which is always useful, but crucial at these times of uncertainty. This survey represents a first step, aimed above all at the mapping of statisticians who work in the Italian academy, and who are confronted with the - criticisable - existing classifications of skills. Other investigations will follow, also aimed at mapping statisticians who do not work in the academy.(in italian: Link) 

For more information about SIS activities, contact the SIS secretariat, the president, the secretary Donatella Vicari, or the ySIS group.