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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Injury Prevention and Control
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1420497

Infection risk factor measurement based on spatial and temporal distribution of COVID-19 nucleic acid test sites: an example from Shenzhen

Provisionally accepted
Lei Wang Lei Wang 1Longhao Zhang Longhao Zhang 1Tianlin Zhang Tianlin Zhang 1*Xin Han Xin Han 2*
  • 1 Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
  • 2 Kyungpook National University, Daegu, North Gyeongsang, Republic of Korea

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    COVID-19 has profoundly impacted global daily life, emphasizing the need for effective virus suppression strategies. In response, China has established numerous nucleic acid testing sites to facilitate rapid testing and curb outbreaks. However, these sites often experience congestion, increasing transmission risks and reducing testing efficiency. This study focuses on the spatial-temporal analysis of testing site distribution and associated infection risks in Shenzhen, China. Data from all Shenzhen testing sites were analyzed for the week of October 24-30, 2022, noting the percentage of busy hours per site and incorporating a population size factor by district to assess regional infection risks. Findings indicate three daily peak testing times-primarily in the evening-with the highest risk of transmission in Longgang District, followed by Yantian and Luohu, and the lowest in Futian. The risk coefficient varied from 0.040 to 0.349, with most areas showing stable risk levels between 0.06 and 0.20. This research underlines the necessity for policymakers to alleviate congestion at testing sites and suggests increasing site availability in Longgang District to mitigate COVID-19 spread, offering methodological guidance for managing infection risks in other major Chinese cities.

    Keywords: COVID-19 nucleic acid detection sites, built environmental factors, Infection risk index, Policy recommendations, Spatial-temporal analysis

    Received: 20 Apr 2024; Accepted: 30 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Zhang, Zhang and Han. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Tianlin Zhang, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
    Xin Han, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 702-701, North Gyeongsang, Republic of Korea

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.