Diverse and nonlinear influences of built environment factors on COVID-19 spread across townships in China at its initial stage.

ABSTRACT: The built environment can contribute to the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by facilitating human mobility and social contacts between infected and uninfected individuals. However, mobility data capturing detailed interpersonal transmission at a large scale are not available. In this study, we aimed to objectively assess the influence of key built environment factors, which create spaces for activities-"inferred activity" rather than "actually observed activity"-on the spread of COVID-19 across townships in China at its initial stage through a random forest approach. Taking data for 2994 township-level administrative units, the spread is measured by two indicators: the ratio of cumulative infection cases (RCIC), and the coefficient of variation of infection cases (CVIC)

SUBMITTER: Ma S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8203673 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature