COVID-19 and the city: Did urbanized countries suffer more fatalities?
Cities
; 131: 103909, 2022 Dec.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2104560
ABSTRACT
In this paper we derive a theoretical model of the spread of a viral infection which we use as basis for an estimation strategy to test four interrelated hypotheses on the relationship between country-level COVID-19 mortality rates and the extent of urban development. Using data covering 81 countries we find evidence that countries with a higher population density, a higher share of the urban population living in the largest city, and countries with a higher urbanization rate had on average the same or fewer COVID-19 fatalities compared to less urbanized countries in 2020. Even though COVID-19 spreads faster in cities, fatalities may be lower, conditional on economic development, trust in government, and a well-functioning health care system. Generally, urbanization and city development are associated with economic development with the resources urbanized countries have, it is easier for them to manage and maintain stricter lockdowns, and to roll out effective pharmaceutical interventions.
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Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
English
Journal:
Cities
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.cities.2022.103909
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