Population density as a factor in the spread of covid-19 cases in peninsular Malaysia

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Coronavirus disease also known as COVID-19 in Malaysia were reported on the 25th January 2020 until present. There were several factors that influence the distribution of COVID-19 events. The objectives of this study are to explore the association between population density and the spread on early wave of COVID-19 in Peninsular Malaysia. Methods: The clusters of districts with the largest numbers of COVID-19 infected cases and population densities were described by using cluster analysis. Then, correlation analysis where calculated to define the strength between two parameters. Results: Findings of this study showed, there was a clear positive association between population density and COVID-19 infections in Peninsular Malaysia. During the study period, it was estimated that population density has a positive impact on the spread of early stage COVID-19 in Peninsular Malaysia (r= 0.752). Findings also showed there were a weak correlation between population density and COVID-19 cases in Southern region (r=0.370), Northern region (r=0.264) and East Coast region (r=0.248) as compared to Central region (r=0.917) where it have strong correlation between two variables. Conclusion: This study concluded the spread of COVID-19 in Peninsular Malaysia is increasing as the population density increases. © 2021 UPM Press. All rights reserved.