Risk Factors Associated with the Spatiotemporal Spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 Variant - Shanghai Municipality, China, 2022

What is already known about this topic? Previous studies have explored the spatial transmission patterns of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and have assessed the associated risk factors. However, none of these studies have quantitatively described the spatiotemporal transmission patterns and risk factors for Omicron BA.2 at the micro (within-city) scale. What is added by this report? This study highlights the heterogeneous spread of the 2022 Omicron BA.2 epidemic in Shanghai, and identifies associations between different metrics of spatial spread at the subdistrict level and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the population, human mobility patterns, and adopted interventions.What are the implications for public health practice? Disentangling different risk factors might contribute to a deeper understanding of the transmission dynamics and ecology of coronavirus disease 2019 and an effective design of monitoring and management strategies.

Automated summary

This study quantitatively describes the spatiotemporal transmission patterns and risk factors for the 2022 Omicron BA.2 epidemic in Shanghai and identifies associations between spatial spread metrics at the subdistrict level and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, human mobility patterns, and adopted interventions.