Mobile device data reveal the dynamics in a positive relationship between human mobility and COVID-19 infections
Washington [US], October 16 (FeedsIndia): New research by PNAS suggests that accurately estimating human mobility and gauging its relationship with virus transmission during a pandemic is critical for control of the spread of COVID-19 and any other highly contagious disease. A key contribution of the study lies in the daily updated OD travel demand analytics and mobility inflow for each of the 3,141 US counties, using mobile device location data. The analytics made available to the public reveal daily intercounty travels and has already provided timely support to a number of decision-makers. Another contribution is that the researchers robustly characterised the dynamics in a positive relationship between mobility inflow and the number of infections via a simultaneous equations modelling process with time-varying coefficients. And this positive relationship gets steadily amplified in reopened regions. Findings of the researchers warn about the premature loosening of restrictions and th...