Chennai: A ‘detailed’ data analysis has shown that a population’s demographic structure—age, social and economic class, access to resources—is far more influential than simply how dense a population is.
According to an analysis of cases in Tehran, Iran, one of the early epicentres of the pandemic, a person who owns a car or who has a college education may be less vulnerable to Covid-19.
While such variables do not inherently lower a person’s risk, they do indicate an infrastructure of protection that persists despite how densely populated a person’s district might be.
However, researchers said density is distinctly different from overcrowding for the resources available.
Done in the early months of the pandemic, the study will help policymakers develop guidelines to benefit all during urban and pandemic-preparedness planning. The international collaboration is published in Sustainable Cities and Society.