Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

April 16, 2020

Rapid surveillance of COVID-19 in the United States using a prospective space-time scan statistic: Detecting and evaluating emerging clusters

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  • The authors use prospective space-time scan statistic methodology to detect emerging clusters of COVID-19 in the US and at the county level for 2 distinct time periods, and emphasize the importance of focusing surveillance on emerging and active clusters during epidemics. 
  • These timely results can inform public health officials and decision-makers about locations to prioritize for targeted interventions, resource allocation, rapid testing, and for implementation of stricter quarantines and travel bans. 

Desjardins et al. (Apr 2020). Rapid surveillance of COVID-19 in the United States using a prospective space-time scan statistic: Detecting and evaluating emerging clusters. Applied Geography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2020.102202