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Regional variation in COVID-19 positive hospitalisation across Scotland during the first wave of the pandemic and its relation to population density: A cross-sectional observation study

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  • Andrew Rideout
  • Calum Murray
  • Chris Isles

Abstract

Background: There have been large regional differences in COVID-19 virus activity across the UK with many commentators suggesting that these are related to age, ethnicity and social class. There has also been a focus on cases, hospitalisations and deaths rather than on hospitalisation rates expressed per 100,000 population. The purpose of our study was to examine regional variation in COVID-19 positive hospitalisation rates in Scotland during the first wave of the pandemic and the possibility that these might be related to population density. Methods and findings: This was a repeated point prevalence study. The number of COVID-19 positive patients hospitalised in the eleven Scottish mainland health boards peaked at 1517 on 19th April, then fell to a low of 243 on 16th August before rising slightly to 262 on 15th September. In July, August and September only four boards had more than 5 hospitalised patients. There was a statistically significant relationship between hospitalisation rates and population density on 97.7% of individual days during the first wave of the pandemic (Pearson’s r 0.62–0.93, with 123 of a possible 174 days having p values

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  • Andrew Rideout & Calum Murray & Chris Isles, 2021. "Regional variation in COVID-19 positive hospitalisation across Scotland during the first wave of the pandemic and its relation to population density: A cross-sectional observation study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(7), pages 1-9, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0253636
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253636
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shima Hamidi & Sadegh Sabouri & Reid Ewing, 2020. "Does Density Aggravate the COVID-19 Pandemic?," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 86(4), pages 495-509, October.
    2. Per Block & Marion Hoffman & Isabel J. Raabe & Jennifer Beam Dowd & Charles Rahal & Ridhi Kashyap & Melinda C. Mills, 2020. "Social network-based distancing strategies to flatten the COVID-19 curve in a post-lockdown world," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 4(6), pages 588-596, June.
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    1. Bopaki Phogole & Kowiyou Yessoufou, 2023. "Greener Neighbourhoods Show Resilience to the Spread but Not Severity of COVID-19 Infection in South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-16, October.
    2. Lilia Antonova & Chandy Somayaji & Jillian Cameron & Monica Sirski & Maria E Sundaram & James Ted McDonald & Sharmistha Mishra & Jeffrey C Kwong & Alan Katz & Stefan Baral & Lisa Caulley & Andrew Calz, 2023. "Comparison of socio-economic determinants of COVID-19 testing and positivity in Canada: A multi-provincial analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(8), pages 1-16, August.

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