The moderating effect of solar radiation on the association between human mobility and COVID-19 infection in Europe

The prevalence and influencing factors of COVID-19 in pregnant women post-relaxation of epidemic control measures in Hunan Province, China

Objective

To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in pregnant women after relaxation of epidemic control measures.

Methods

This cross-sectional study employed a multistage stratified sampling method, involving six sampling sites (districts/counties) of three cities (Zhuzhou, Chenzhou, and Huaihua) in Hunan Province, China. A questionnaire-based survey collected basic maternal information, COVID-19 infection status, and pregnancy-related information of the participants. Data were extracted and double checked for accuracy. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 25.0 software.

Results

Among the 7,761 pregnant women included in the study, 5,191 (66.9%) had a positive result of SARS-CoV-2 test or related symptoms. The majority of maternal infections were mild (90.0%), and a very small fraction were severe and critical (0.4% and 0.1 %). Headache and body aches (65.3%) were the most common symptoms. Of the 5,191 pregnant women with COVID-19, 4,150 (79.9%) had no complications during pregnancy. A total of 2,711 (52.2%) infected women had deliveries, and 449 (16.6%) newborns had infections. The impacts of COVID-19 on adverse pregnancy outcomes were limited. Logistic multivariable regression analysis showed that pregnant women with an education level of junior college and above (OR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.18, 1.64), those with a monthly household income ≥ 3,000 yuan and above (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.34), those who lived with their family during family member infection (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.32, 1.66), and those with pulmonary (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.85) or other (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.19, 1.65) underlying diseases were more likely to have COVID-19. A farmer/worker occupation type (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.48, 0.79) was a protective factor.

Conclusion

A high prevalence of COVID-19 in pregnant women following relaxation of control measures has been observed at provincial scale in China. Most cases were mild, and few effects on newborns were observed. Higher education and income, living with infected family members, and having pulmonary disease were identified as risk factors, suggesting that mobility is the most critical factor influencing infection rates. This study provides useful references for epidemic prevention and control in the future.

Does behavior mediate the effect of weather on SARS-CoV-2 transmission? evidence from cell-phone data

There is growing evidence that weather alters SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but it remains unclear what drives the phenomenon. One prevailing hypothesis is that people spend more time indoors in cooler weather, leading to increased spread of SARS-CoV-2 related to time spent in confined spaces and close contact with others. However, the evidence in support of that hypothesis is limited and, at times, conflicting. We use a mediation framework, and combine daily weather, COVID-19 hospital surveillance, cellphone-based mobility data and building footprints to estimate the relationship between daily indoor and outdoor weather conditions, mobility, and COVID-19 hospitalizations. We quantify the direct health impacts of weather on COVID-19 hospitalizations and the indirect effects of weather via time spent indoors away-from-home on COVID-19 hospitalizations within five Colorado counties between March 4th 2020 and January 31st 2021. We also evaluated the evidence for seasonal effect modification by comparing the results of all-season (using season as a covariate) to season-stratified models. Four weather conditions were associated with both time spent indoors away-from-home and 12-day lagged COVID-19 hospital admissions in one or more season: high minimum temperature (all-season), low maximum temperature (spring), low minimum absolute humidity (winter), and high solar radiation (all-season & winter). In our mediation analyses, we found evidence that changes in 12-day lagged hospital admissions were primarily via the direct effects of weather conditions, rather than via indirect effects by which weather changes time spent indoors away-from-home. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that weather impacted SARS-CoV-2 transmission via changes in mobility patterns during the first year of the pandemic. Rather, weather appears to have impacted SARS-CoV-2 transmission primarily via mechanisms other than human movement. We recommend further analysis of this phenomenon to determine whether these findings generalize to current SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics, as well as other seasonal respiratory pathogens.

Does behavior mediate the effect of weather on SARS-CoV-2 transmission? Evidence from cell-phone data

Background

There is growing evidence that weather alters SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but it remains unclear what drives the phenomenon. One prevailing hypothesis is that people spend more time indoors in cooler weather, leading to increased spread of SARS-CoV-2 related to time spent in confined spaces and close contact with others. However, the evidence in support of that hypothesis is limited and, at times, conflicting.

Objectives

We aim to evaluate the extent to which weather impacts COVID-19 via time spent away-from-home in indoor spaces, as compared to a direct effect of weather on COVID-19 hospitalization, independent of mobility.

Methods

We use a mediation framework, and combine daily weather, COVID-19 hospital surveillance, cellphone-based mobility data and building footprints to estimate the relationship between daily indoor and outdoor weather conditions, mobility, and COVID-19 hospitalizations. We quantify the direct health impacts of weather on COVID-19 hospitalizations and the indirect effects of weather via time spent indoors away-from-home on COVID-19 hospitalizations within five Colorado counties between March 4th 2020 and January 31st 2021.

Results

We found evidence that changes in 12-day lagged hospital admissions were primarily via the direct effects of weather conditions, rather than via indirect effects by which weather changes time spent indoors away-from-home. Sensitivity analyses evaluating time at home as a mediator were consistent with these conclusions.

Discussion

Our findings do not support the hypothesis that weather impacted SARS-CoV-2 transmission via changes in mobility patterns during the first year of the pandemic. Rather, weather appears to have impacted SARS-CoV-2 transmission primarily via mechanisms other than human movement. We recommend further analysis of this phenomenon to determine whether these findings generalize to current SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics and other seasonal respiratory pathogens.

Time series cross-correlation between home range and number of infected people during the COVID-19 pandemic in a suburban city

Control of human mobility is one of the most effective measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the imposition of emergency restrictions had significant negative impacts on citizens' daily lives. As vaccination progresses, we need to consider more effective measures to control the spread of the infection. The research question of this study is as follows: Does the control of home range correlate with a reduction in the number of infected people during the COVID-19 pandemic? This study aims to clarify the correlation between home range and the number of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ibaraki City. Home ranges are analyzed by the Minimum Convex Polygon method using mobile phone GPS location history data. We analyzed the time series cross-correlation between home range lengths and the number of infected people. Results reveal a slight positive correlation between home range and the number of infected people after one week during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding home range length, the cross-correlation coefficient is 0.4030 even at a lag level of six weeks, which has the most significant coefficient. Thus, a decrease in the home range is a weak factor correlated with a reduction in the number of infected people. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature by evaluating key public health challenges from the perspective of controliing the spread of the COVID-19 infectuion. Its findings has implications for policy makers, practitioners, and urban scientists seeking to promote urban sustainability.