Robust testing and tracing are key to fighting the menace of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This outbreak has progressed with tremendous impact on human life, society and economy. In this paper, we propose an age-structured SIQR model to track the progression of the pandemic in India, Italy and USA, taking into account the different age-structures of these countries. We have made predictions about the disease dynamics, identified the most infected age-groups and analysed the effectiveness of social distancing measures taken in the early stages of infection. The basic reproductive ratio R0 has been numerically calculated for each country.
We propose a strategy of age-targeted testing, with increased testing in the most proportionally infected age-groups. We observe a marked flattening of the infection curve upon simulating increased testing in the 15-40 year age-groups in India. Thus, we conclude that social distancing and widespread testing are effective methods of control, with emphasis on testing and identifying the hotspots of highly infected populations.