  The novel COVID-19 pandemic is a current, major global health threat. Up till
now, there is no fully approved pharmacological treatment or a vaccine. In this
study, simple mathematical models were employed to examine the dynamics of
transmission and control of COVID-19 taking into consideration social
distancing and community awareness. Both situations of homogeneous and
nonhomogeneous population were considered. Based on the calculations, a
sufficient degree of social distancing based on its reproductive ratio is found
to be effective in controlling COVID-19, even in the absence of a vaccine. With
a vaccine, social distancing minimizes the sufficient vaccination rate to
control the disease. Community awareness also has a great impact in eradicating
the virus transmission. The model is simulated on small-world networks and the
role of social distancing in controlling the infection is explained.
