Changes in population movement make COVID-19 spread differently from SARS

Qiujie Shi; Danny Dorling; Guangzhong Cao; Tao Liu

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113036

Changes in population movement make COVID-19 spread differently from SARS

Soc Sci Med. 2020 Jun:255:113036. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113036. Epub 2020 May 15.

Authors

Qiujie Shi¹, Danny Dorling¹, Guangzhong Cao², Tao Liu³

Affiliations

¹ School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK.
² College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and Center for Urban Future Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
³ College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and Center for Urban Future Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China. Electronic address: liutao@pku.edu.cn.

Abstract

This comment discusses the contribution of population movement to the spread of COVID-19, with a reference to the spread of SARS 17 years ago. We argue that the changing geography of migration, the diversification of jobs taken by migrants, the rapid growth of tourism and business trips, and the longer distance taken by people for family reunion are what make the spread of COVID-19 so differently from that of SARS. These changes in population movement are expected to continue. Hence, new strategies in disease prevention and control should be taken accordingly, which are also proposed in the comment.

Keywords: COVID-19; China; Population movement; SARS; Spread.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19
China / epidemiology
Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology
Coronavirus Infections / prevention & control
Coronavirus Infections / transmission*
Human Migration / statistics & numerical data*
Humans
Pandemics / prevention & control
Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology
Pneumonia, Viral / prevention & control
Pneumonia, Viral / transmission*
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / epidemiology
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / transmission