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Regional connectivity drove bidirectional transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the Middle East during travel restrictions.

Edyth ParkerCatelyn AndersonMark ZellerAhmad TibiJennifer L HavensGeneviève LarocheMehdi BenlarbiArdeshir ArianaRefugio Robles-SikisakaAlaa Abdel LatifAlexander WattsAbdalla AwidiSaied A JaradatKarthik GangavarapuKarthik RameshEzra KurzbanNathaniel L MattesonAlvin X HanLaura D HughesMichelle McGrawEmily SpencerLaura NicholsonKamran KhanMarc A SuchardJoel O WertheimShirlee WohlMarceline CôtéAmid AbdelnourKristian G AndersenIssa Abu-Dayyeh
Published in: Nature communications (2022)
Regional connectivity and land travel have been identified as important drivers of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. However, the generalizability of this finding is understudied outside of well-sampled, highly connected regions. In this study, we investigated the relative contributions of regional and intercontinental connectivity to the source-sink dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 for Jordan and the Middle East. By integrating genomic, epidemiological and travel data we show that the source of introductions into Jordan was dynamic across 2020, shifting from intercontinental seeding in the early pandemic to more regional seeding for the travel restrictions period. We show that land travel, particularly freight transport, drove introduction risk during the travel restrictions period. High regional connectivity and land travel also drove Jordan's export risk. Our findings emphasize regional connectedness and land travel as drivers of transmission in the Middle East.
Keyphrases
  • sars cov
  • climate change
  • resting state
  • infectious diseases
  • respiratory syndrome coronavirus
  • white matter
  • functional connectivity
  • machine learning
  • water quality
  • high resolution
  • big data