Medicine and Health

It's complicated: characterizing the time-varying relationship between cell phone mobility and COVID-19 spread in the US

S. Jewell, J. Futoma, et al.

This research, conducted by Sean Jewell, Joseph Futoma, Lauren Hannah, Andrew C. Miller, Nicholas J. Foti, and Emily B. Fox, reveals the complex relationship between cell phone mobility and COVID-19 infection rates. While the data showed a link during the early days of the pandemic, the study emphasizes that mobility is not a consistent predictor of infection trends, providing crucial insights for public health policy.

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Abstract

Restricting in-person interactions is crucial for limiting COVID-19 spread. While early research showed a strong link between cell phone mobility and infection spread in the US, this study investigates the persistence of this relationship across locations and time. Using a year of county-level data, the authors found that mobility drops coincided with declining infection rates in populous counties during spring 2020, but the association varied significantly elsewhere and over time. Model flexibility was key; restrictive models masked spatiotemporal variation. The study concludes that mobility isn't a reliable leading indicator of infection rates, with important policy implications.

Publisher

npj Digital Medicine

Published On

Oct 27, 2021

Authors

Sean Jewell, Joseph Futoma, Lauren Hannah, Andrew C. Miller, Nicholas J. Foti, Emily B. Fox

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