We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Reduction in mobility and COVID-19 transmission.
- Authors
Nouvellet, Pierre; Bhatia, Sangeeta; Cori, Anne; Ainslie, Kylie E. C.; Baguelin, Marc; Bhatt, Samir; Boonyasiri, Adhiratha; Brazeau, Nicholas F.; Cattarino, Lorenzo; Cooper, Laura V.; Coupland, Helen; Cucunuba, Zulma M.; Cuomo-Dannenburg, Gina; Dighe, Amy; Djaafara, Bimandra A.; Dorigatti, Ilaria; Eales, Oliver D.; van Elsland, Sabine L.; Nascimento, Fabricia F.; FitzJohn, Richard G.
- Abstract
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have sought to control SARS-CoV-2 transmission by restricting population movement through social distancing interventions, thus reducing the number of contacts. Mobility data represent an important proxy measure of social distancing, and here, we characterise the relationship between transmission and mobility for 52 countries around the world. Transmission significantly decreased with the initial reduction in mobility in 73% of the countries analysed, but we found evidence of decoupling of transmission and mobility following the relaxation of strict control measures for 80% of countries. For the majority of countries, mobility explained a substantial proportion of the variation in transmissibility (median adjusted R-squared: 48%, interquartile range - IQR - across countries [27–77%]). Where a change in the relationship occurred, predictive ability decreased after the relaxation; from a median adjusted R-squared of 74% (IQR across countries [49–91%]) pre-relaxation, to a median adjusted R-squared of 30% (IQR across countries [12–48%]) post-relaxation. In countries with a clear relationship between mobility and transmission both before and after strict control measures were relaxed, mobility was associated with lower transmission rates after control measures were relaxed indicating that the beneficial effects of ongoing social distancing behaviours were substantial. Social distancing policies aiming to reduce COVID-19 transmission have been reflected in reductions in human mobility. Here, the authors show that reduced mobility is correlated with decreased transmission, but that this relationship weakened over time as social distancing measures were relaxed.
- Subjects
COVID-19; COVID-19 pandemic; SOCIAL distancing; PANDEMICS; SOCIAL movements; SARS-CoV-2
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2021, Vol 12, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41467-021-21358-2