Geography of two COVID-19 waves in Latvia

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and its waves of incidence have had a significant impact on our personal and professional lives. This has led to scholarly interest in various fields, including geography. A growing body of scholarly literature is trying to understand the reasons why some places were and still are more affected than others. The aim of this study was to shed light on the geography of the Covid-19 pandemic in Latvia and explain the geographical patterns of the pandemic during its first two waves. This was done, firstly, by mapping the number of cases per 10,000 in the municipalities of Latvia; secondly, the analysis also combined that same data with a total of eleven variables, by using bivariate correlation. The results show that during the first wave, Covid-19 incidence was relatively low. However, during the second wave, there were several large clusters of municipalities with a rather high number (over 500) confirmed Covid-19 cases per 10,000 inhabitants. Results of the correlation analysis suggest that geographical patterns of COVID-19 incidence were a result of a complex set of factors, varying throughout the country. Also, the presence of large clusters of municipalities with a rather high number of cases per capita (mostly) during the second wave points to the possible impact of proximity.