• How are corona infections in different countries related to infections in bordering countries?

Abstract

It has been more than two years since the Covid-19 epidemic began in Europe, this long-term pandemic affecting all countries on the continent. This study aims to find the relationship between the number of new infections between countries by analyzing the data of new infections for nearly two years, that is, whether new infections in other countries will cause changes in new infections in their bordering countries. To answer this question, we compared the performance of panel models and spatial panel models to verify the correlation. To answer this question, we compare the performance of the panel model and the spatial panel model, find the most suitable model by comparison, and then verify the correlation. The results show that when there is a one-week lag, the number of new infections in the focal country, the number of new infections in neighboring countries, and the focal country's epidemic prevention policy index will all have a positive correlation with the number of new infections in the country this week. These results show that the spread of Covid-19 does have a spatial impact, so this impact factor should be taken into account in the prevention and control of the epidemic.