Spatial Autocorrelation of COVID-19 in Slovakia.

The pandemic situation of COVID-19, which affected almost the entire civilized world with its consequences, offered a unique opportunity for analysis of geographical space. In a relatively short period of time, the COVID-19 pandemic became a truly global event with consequences affecting all areas of life. Circumstances with COVID-19, which affected the territory of Slovakia and its regions, represent a sufficient premise for analysis three years after the registration of the first case in Slovakia. The study presents the results of a detailed spatiotemporal analysis of the course of registered cases of COVID-19 in six periods in Slovakia. The aim of the paper was to analyze the development of the number of people infected with the disease COVID-19 in Slovakia. At the level of the districts of Slovakia, using spatial autocorrelation, we identified spatial differences in the disease of COVID-19. Moran's global autocorrelation index and Moran's local index were used in the synthesis of knowledge. Spatial analysis of data on the number of infected in the form of spatial autocorrelation analysis was used as a practical sustainable approach to localizing statistically significant areas with high and low positivity. This manifested itself in the monitored area mainly in the form of positive spatial autocorrelation. The selection of data and methods used in this study together with the achieved and presented results can serve as a suitable tool to support decisions in further measures for the future.

Analysis of Hazard Rate of Municipalities in Slovakia in Terms of COVID-19.

The coronavirus became a phenomenon in 2020, which is making an unwanted but wide space for the study of various scientific disciplines. The COVID-19 pandemic situation which has reached almost the whole civilized world by its consequences thus offers a unique possibility to analyze the graphic space and the human activities inside it. The aim of this study is to predict and identify the potential rate of threat on the example of COVID-19 in Slovakia through an established model. This model consisted of an assessment of the partial phenomena of exposure, vulnerability, and overall risk. The statistical data used to evaluate these phenomena concerned individual cities in Slovakia. These represent the smallest administrative unit. Indirect methods based on the point method were applied in the paper. The spreading and transfer of the disease was influenced much more by the exposure presented by traffic availability, especially, but also the concentration of inhabitants in the selected locations (shops, cemeteries, and others). In the results, our modeling confirmed the regions with the highest intensity, especially in the districts (Bratislava, Kosice, Presov, and Nitra). The selection of the data and method used in this study together with the results reached and presented may serve as an appropriate tool for the support of decision-making of other measures for the future.

Spatial Autocorrelation of Breast and Prostate Cancer in Slovakia.

Cancer is one of the dominant causes of death in the Slovak population. Monitoring the course of the cancer death rate in Slovakia can be considered as a relevant subject for geographical research. Relatively little is known about the geographic distribution of breast and prostate cancer incidence in Slovakia. In the submitted paper, it is hypothesized that breast and prostate cancer in the examined territory are characterized by different intensities, incidences, and spatial differences. The spatial patterns of breast and prostate cancer in Slovakia were examined by means of spatial autocorrelation analyses with the Local Moran's I and Anselin Local Moran's statistics. Data on standardized death rates of breast and prostate cancer in Slovakia between 2001 and 2018 were used. Prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women show a positive statistically significant Global Moran's I, whose values indicate a tendency to cluster. The Anselin Local Moran's I analysis indicates significant clusters of breast cancer in the western part of Slovakia, and prostate cancer clusters mostly in the central part of Slovakia. The findings we have obtained in this study may help us investigate further hypotheses regarding the causes and identification of spatial differences in breast and prostate cancer incidence. Our findings might stimulate further research into the possible causes which underlie the clusters.