Spatial-temporal heterogeneity in the associations of COVID-19 transmission and human mobility

SunhwaChoi

National Institute for Mathematical Sciences

"Spatial-temporal heterogeneity in the associations of COVID-19 transmission and human mobility"

This study investigates the spatial-temporal heterogeneity in the relationship between human mobility and COVID-19 transmission across 229 regions in South Korea during six epidemic waves from January 2020 to September 2022. While previous research primarily focused on the early stages of the pandemic and the impacts of mobility restrictions, our study utilizes mobility data from SK Telecom and COVID-19 case data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency to provide a more comprehensive analysis. We applied empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and clustering analysis to classify regional mobility patterns and conducted cross-correlation analysis to assess the relationship between mobility and confirmed cases. The findings indicate that incoming mobility significantly influenced the number of confirmed cases in urban and densely populated areas, whereas rural regions exhibited contrasting patterns. Moreover, these relationships evolved across different epidemic waves, highlighting the influence of regional characteristics and public health interventions. This study underscores the need to consider spatial-temporal heterogeneity in mobility-transmission dynamics to develop tailored public health strategies and enhance preparedness for future pandemics.
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