Does High Population Density Catalyze the Spread of COVID-19?

Abstract

COVID-19 represents not only public health emergency but has become a global economic problem. It has affected all economic sectors threatening global poverty. The important question that arises is what catalyses the spread of the disease? In this paper the relationship between population density and spread of COVID-19 is observed which is goal of the paper. For the purpose of the analysis the correlation between the population variables and COVID-19 variables on a global country level (209 countries) and regional level of individual countries with the most cases of infection is observed. The results have shown that on a country level variable population is statistically significant in all regression models for total cases, deaths and total tests variables whereas variable population density was not. The research results from this paper can be important and relevant for economic and health policy makers to guide COVID-19 surveillance and public health decision-making.