The Epidemiological and Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Libya
COVID-19 is a global pandemic that has affected all aspects of life. Understanding its geographical and epidemiological characteristics has become particularly important in controlling the spread of the pandemic. Such studies are lacking in North African countries, particularly in Libya, which has t...
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doaj-a890e7c4aba949fea1fbdf0cc1b27fab2021-06-14T05:05:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652021-06-01910.3389/fpubh.2021.628211628211The Epidemiological and Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in LibyaMohamed A. Daw0Abdallah H. El-Bouzedi1Mohamed O. Ahmed2Mohamed O. Ahmed3Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, LibyaFaculty of Biotechnology, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, LibyaDepartment of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, LibyaDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, LibyaCOVID-19 is a global pandemic that has affected all aspects of life. Understanding its geographical and epidemiological characteristics has become particularly important in controlling the spread of the pandemic. Such studies are lacking in North African countries, particularly in Libya, which has the second largest area of any country in Africa and the longest coast facing Europe. The objectives of this study are to determine the epidemiological parameters and spatiotemporal patterns of COVID-19 and outline strategies for containing the spread and consequences of the pandemic. This comprehensive study included all the confirmed cases of COVID-19 since its emergence in Libya on March 24, 2020 until July 31, 2020. The epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 were analyzed and the spatial dynamic trends were explored. Regional counts of weekly reported cases were used to characterize the spatial dynamics of COVID-19. A total of 3,695 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were recorded: 2,515 men (68.1%) and 1,180 women (31.9%), with a male-to-female ratio of 2.1:1. Ages ranged between 2 and 78 years. Older patients infected with COVID-19 were at a risk of higher disease severity and mortality. Broad geographic variability and spatiotemporal spread variation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Libya was observed, indicating a significant increase of COVID-19 spread starting in the middle of July 2020, particularly in the western and southern regions, although it was consistently reported in the central and eastern regions as well. Assessing the spatiotemporal dynamics of COVID-19 in the early stages of the epidemic is particularly important in understanding the pandemic spread. Such assessments are essential for designing effective prevention and control programs aimed at reducing the impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic, particularly in countries with limited resources.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.628211/fullLibyaCOVID-19epidemiologyspatiotemporal analysisdynamicsgeography |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Mohamed A. Daw Abdallah H. El-Bouzedi Mohamed O. Ahmed Mohamed O. Ahmed |
spellingShingle |
Mohamed A. Daw Abdallah H. El-Bouzedi Mohamed O. Ahmed Mohamed O. Ahmed The Epidemiological and Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Libya Frontiers in Public Health Libya COVID-19 epidemiology spatiotemporal analysis dynamics geography |
author_facet |
Mohamed A. Daw Abdallah H. El-Bouzedi Mohamed O. Ahmed Mohamed O. Ahmed |
author_sort |
Mohamed A. Daw |
title |
The Epidemiological and Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Libya |
title_short |
The Epidemiological and Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Libya |
title_full |
The Epidemiological and Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Libya |
title_fullStr |
The Epidemiological and Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Libya |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Epidemiological and Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Libya |
title_sort |
epidemiological and spatiotemporal characteristics of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (covid-19) in libya |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Public Health |
issn |
2296-2565 |
publishDate |
2021-06-01 |
description |
COVID-19 is a global pandemic that has affected all aspects of life. Understanding its geographical and epidemiological characteristics has become particularly important in controlling the spread of the pandemic. Such studies are lacking in North African countries, particularly in Libya, which has the second largest area of any country in Africa and the longest coast facing Europe. The objectives of this study are to determine the epidemiological parameters and spatiotemporal patterns of COVID-19 and outline strategies for containing the spread and consequences of the pandemic. This comprehensive study included all the confirmed cases of COVID-19 since its emergence in Libya on March 24, 2020 until July 31, 2020. The epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 were analyzed and the spatial dynamic trends were explored. Regional counts of weekly reported cases were used to characterize the spatial dynamics of COVID-19. A total of 3,695 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were recorded: 2,515 men (68.1%) and 1,180 women (31.9%), with a male-to-female ratio of 2.1:1. Ages ranged between 2 and 78 years. Older patients infected with COVID-19 were at a risk of higher disease severity and mortality. Broad geographic variability and spatiotemporal spread variation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Libya was observed, indicating a significant increase of COVID-19 spread starting in the middle of July 2020, particularly in the western and southern regions, although it was consistently reported in the central and eastern regions as well. Assessing the spatiotemporal dynamics of COVID-19 in the early stages of the epidemic is particularly important in understanding the pandemic spread. Such assessments are essential for designing effective prevention and control programs aimed at reducing the impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic, particularly in countries with limited resources. |
topic |
Libya COVID-19 epidemiology spatiotemporal analysis dynamics geography |
url |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.628211/full |
work_keys_str_mv |
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