Georeferencing of COVID-19 Positive Nasopharyngeal Swabs to Support Emergency Management in an Area of Northern Italy

Abstract

Spatial distribution heterogeneity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been observed in several countries. While previous studies have covered vast geographic areas, detailed analyses on smaller territories are not available to date. The aim of our study was to understand the spatial spread of SARS-CoV-2 in a province of Northern Italy through the analysis of positive nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs. The study was conducted on subjects who lived in the province of Alessandria with at least one positive NP swab between 2 March and 22 December 2020. To investigate if clustering occurred, the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 positive subjects over the total number of residents in each small administrative subregion was calculated and then mapped. A total of 17,260 subjects with at least one positive NP swab were included; the median age was 54 years (Interquartile range 38–72) and 54.9% (n = 9478) of our study population were female. Among the 192 towns scanned, 26 showed a prevalence between 5% and 7.5%, one between 7.5% and 10% and two with more than 10% positive swabs. The territories with a higher prevalence of positive subjects were located in areas with at least one nursing home and potential clusters were observed within these structures. The maps produced may be considered a useful and important monitoring system to identify areas with a significant and relevant diffusion of SARS-CoV-2.

Geospatial analysis of cardiovascular mortality before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru: analysis of the national death registry to support emergency management in Peru

“…To the best of our knowledge, this study has, for the first time, demonstrated the geospatial distribution of COVID-19 deaths in Peru. While previous reports have analyzed other pandemic outcomes ( 7 , 9 , 10 , 20 , 21 ), they have not explored shifts in the distribution of CVD-related deaths before and during the pandemic. These results underscore the persistent nature of cardiovascular diseases, particularly AMI and HF, as leading causes of mortality.…”

“…First, georeferencing and geographic analysis were based on aggregated provincial-level data, potentially overlooking local-level differences ( 9 ). Populations in Latin America, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas, have experienced decreased wellbeing as COVID-19 deaths have increased ( 38 ).…”

“…Georeferencing methods have proven useful in identifying potential disease risk areas through geospatial statistics ( 9 ). During the COVID-19 pandemic, georeferencing methods have been used to track cases ( 10 ), evaluate vaccination efforts ( 7 ), and assess unvaccinated children ( 9 ).…”

“…Georeferencing methods have proven useful in identifying potential disease risk areas through geospatial statistics ( 9 ). During the COVID-19 pandemic, georeferencing methods have been used to track cases ( 10 ), evaluate vaccination efforts ( 7 ), and assess unvaccinated children ( 9 ). Despite this, deaths related to cardiovascular diseases in Peru have not been regionally monitored, and their overall impact has not been estimated as part of the national chronic disease surveillance.…”