Cell phone location data can help monitor COVID-19 rates
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in spring, most states implemented stay-at-home advisories — to different degrees and at different times. Cell phone location data showed marked reductions in cell phone activity at workplace and retail locations, and increased activity in residential areas. However, the correlation between this activity and the spread of COVID-19 in a given region was not known. In a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers from Harvard-affiliated Mount Auburn Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania analyzed anonymous, county-level cell phone location data, made publicly available via Google, and incidence of COVID-19 for more than 2,500 U.S. counties between January and May 2020. The researchers found that changes in cell phone activity in workplaces, transit stations, retail locations, and at places of residence were associated with COVID-19 incidence. The findings are among the first to demonstrate that cell phone location data can help public health officials better monitor...