Spatial Analysis of Covid-19 Disease in Hamadan Province

With the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, different countries have implemented various intervention to control the disease. Providing information on how the disease spreads and local risk factors can help policymakers and managers to control the disease. The aim of this study was to analyze the spatial factors of Covid-19 disease in Hamadan province, Iran.

All cases of Covid-19 in Hamadan province from the beginning of the epidemic (Jan 2020) to the end of March 2021 with a confirmed diagnosis of Covid-19 disease based on PCR test were included in the study. The required information was collected through the Covid-19 case registration system in Hamadan University of medical science, other provincial institutions and the Statistics Center of Iran. Statistical analyzes were performed in two parts: descriptive and analytical. Zoning maps were used to show the distribution of disease cases. Getis-Ord G statistic was used in the analytical analysis to analyze the hot spots.

A total of 25197 patients suspected of Covid-19 were studied. Of these 10366 were positive based on PCR test. There were 1510 confirmed positive cases of the disease who died during the period of investigation. Population density, employment rate, development index, illiteracy rate, distance from the provincial center, air temperature, number of frosty days, average air humidity showed a significant relationship with the incidence of positive cases of Covid-19 in Hamadan province.

Based on the findings, the most important variables related to the increase in the death of covid-19 included the increase in population density and the level of development. The preparation of risk maps using GIS can help to plan a rapid response to the COVID-19 epidemic, focus on prevention programs in high-risk areas, and plan the necessary strategies appropriate to the epidemic trend to control COVID-19 and similar epidemics in the future.