Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1016/j.sste.2022.100560
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Fine-scale variation in the effect of national border on COVID-19 spread: A case study of the Saxon-Czech border region
Author Mertel, A.; Vyskočil, J.; Schüler, L.; Schlechte-Wełnicz, W.; Calabrese, J.M.
Source Titel Spatial and Spatio-Temporal Epidemiology
Year 2023
Department OESA; CHS
Volume 44
Page From art. 100560
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Keywords COVID-19; spatial epidemiological modeling, regression model; border effect; spatio-temporal data analysis
Abstract The global extent and temporally asynchronous pattern of COVID-19 spread have repeatedly highlighted the role of international borders in the fight against the pandemic. Additionally, the deluge of high resolution, spatially referenced epidemiological data generated by the pandemic provides new opportunities to study disease transmission at heretofore inaccessible scales. Existing studies of cross-border infection fluxes, for both COVID-19 and other diseases, have largely focused on characterizing overall border effects. Here, we couple fine-scale incidence data with localized regression models to quantify spatial variation in the inhibitory effect of an international border. We take as a case study the border region between the German state of Saxony and the neighboring regions in northwestern Czechia, where municipality-level COVID-19 incidence data are available on both sides of the border. Consistent with past studies, we find an overall inhibitory effect of the border, but with a clear asymmetry, where the inhibitory effect is stronger from Saxony to Czechia than vice versa. Furthermore, we identify marked spatial variation along the border in the degree to which disease spread was inhibited. In particular, the area around Löbau in Saxony appears to have been a hotspot for cross-border disease transmission. The ability to identify infection flux hotspots along international borders may help to tailor monitoring programs and response measures to more effectively limit disease spread.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=26647
Mertel, A., Vyskočil, J., Schüler, L., Schlechte-Wełnicz, W., Calabrese, J.M. (2023):
Fine-scale variation in the effect of national border on COVID-19 spread: A case study of the Saxon-Czech border region
Spat. Spatio-Temporal Epidemiol. 44 , art. 100560 10.1016/j.sste.2022.100560