Small, highly connected communities that haven’t experienced COVID-19 should be more vigilant on following public health measures, not less.
A new study shows that how COVID spreads depends more closely on city layouts and social structures rather than city size and density.
Large cities are made of linked communities. An outbreak travels through the city community by community. Places with large connections between communities like city centres and business districts are likely to suffer larger epidemics.
Researchers recommend that efforts to flatten the curve should be unique to that particular city, town, or even neighbourhood.
Traditional public health wisdom does not prioritize controlling potential new disease outbreaks once there is local transmission.
The new study urges to reassess this - if a disease keeps reoccurring in communities that are untouched by the outbreak, it will continue the wider epidemic.
Original article:
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Original study: