Heterogeneous changes in mobility in response to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 outbreak in Shanghai.

Publisher: National Academy of Sciences Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 7505876 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1091-6490 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00278424 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Washington, DC : National Academy of Sciences

COVID-19*/epidemiology; Male ; Humans ; China/epidemiology ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Disease Outbreaks ; Group Processes

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the measures taken by authorities to control its spread have altered human behavior and mobility patterns in an unprecedented way. However, it remains unclear whether the population response to a COVID-19 outbreak varies within a city or among demographic groups. Here, we utilized passively recorded cellular signaling data at a spatial resolution of 1 km × 1 km for over 5 million users and epidemiological surveillance data collected during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron BA.2 outbreak from February to June 2022 in Shanghai, China, to investigate the heterogeneous response of different segments of the population at the within-city level and examine its relationship with the actual risk of infection. Changes in behavior were spatially heterogenous within the city and population groups and associated with both the infection incidence and adopted interventions. We also found that males and individuals aged 30 to 59 y old traveled more frequently, traveled longer distances, and their communities were more connected; the same groups were also associated with the highest SARS-CoV-2 incidence. Our results highlight the heterogeneous behavioral change of the Shanghai population to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 outbreak and the effect of heterogenous behavior on the spread of COVID-19, both spatially and demographically. These findings could be instrumental for the design of targeted interventions for the control and mitigation of future outbreaks of COVID-19, and, more broadly, of respiratory pathogens.

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Keywords: COVID-19; human mobility; mobile phones

Date Created: 20231012 Date Completed: 20231102 Latest Revision: 20231116

20240628

PMC10589641

10.1073/pnas.2306710120

37824525