ABSTRACT
Background: COVID-19 is a novel disease that infected many people around the world. It is essential to find the potential high-risk locations and provide suitable healthcare interventions to control COVID-19 distribution. Using a geographic information system, this study aimed to investigate the distribution trends of patients with COVID-19 in Kerman, Iran. Methods: The information of registered patients of Afzalipour hospital in Kerman city who were admitted before July 22, 2020, was collected and used in this paper. The patients’ addresses were converted into geocodes. The trend of disease prevalence in connection with population density in different parts of Kerman was investigated. After that, the average nearest neighbor analysis was performed to check the random distribution of disease cases. Data were checked for randomness by High/Low clustering analysis. Results:: The spread of the COVID-19 disease started in Kerman city’s north, south, and west and then distributed to the center. The southern and western regions were in high-high clusters, and the central and northern regions were in low-low clusters in terms of COVID-19 outbreak risk. Regression showed a significant correlation between underlying diseases and patients' age with the incidence of Covid-19 disease. Conclusion: The prevalence of COVID-19 had been higher in densely populated areas and also in areas with poorer economic conditions. Therefore, paying attention to these areas as well as applying strict rules can help control the spread of COVID-19. The result of this study could be useful for public health experts and healthcare managers to manage better this pandemic.
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health crisis of our time. The mental health and wellbeing of whole societies have been severely impacted by this crisis and are a priority to be addressed urgently. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in many countries worldwide. One way to overcome this situation is to use Telemental health services and people can take advantage of these services to meet their mental health needs. However, there are some barriers to provide Telemental health services, which should be considered by policymakers before the crisis. © 2021 The Author(s).