Diffusion of COVID-19 cases in the city of Coronel Fabriciano-MG: : a configurational approach

Abstract

The urban environment has been recognized as one of the main scenarios for the spread and spread of contagious diseases caused by viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Contagion occurs through contact between people. Since 2020, the WHO has declared COVID-19 a pandemic, which has had major social implications and impacts on health, the economy and work. To understand the relationship between the spread of the disease and its spatial relationships, a case study was carried out in the city of Coronel Fabriciano, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in which the Spatial Syntax methodology was applied, specifically the integration and choice measures, correlating the product of this analysis with Kernel density maps, the result of a mapping of 7,751 confirmed cases of the disease between March 2020 and March 2022, and with socioeconomic and infrastructure variables. The results of this study showed a strong relationship between the spatial configuration and the spread of COVID-19 cases, which may lead to the proposition of guidelines to combat epidemics that aim to cause less socioeconomic damage, such as, for example, a more flexible confinement.