I am interested to hear your opinions/hypootheses why certain regions have relatively lower reported rates of #COVIDー19.
Source: https://google.com/covid19-map/?hl=en
I do not think that reported rate of infection is a trustable measure of the real prevalence. It highly depends on the testing strategy. Here in Hungary we tested only a few peoples; 31 000 tests were done up to now (as of 11 April). In the more or less similar sized Austria 111 000 and Czechia 114 000. (https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104645/covid19-testing-rate-select-countries-worldwide/)
The possible reason could be the population immunity and more importantly the mutations in the strain as Pakistan is witnessing 9 or 6 mutations in two findings, still needs further validation. People to people contact is appearing as a major cause of COVID-19 spread here and almost reaching 50%.
Level of under-reporting including under-diagnosis before the first peak of COVID-19 in various countries: Preliminary Retrospective Results Based on Wavelets and Deterministic Modeling
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/level-of-underreporting-including-underdiagnosis-before-the-first-peak-of-covid19-in-various-countries-preliminary-retrospective-results-based-on-wavelets-and-deterministic-modeling/93941EEBA650F9C38AC7E4BCB7413F93
Why Only Test Symptomatic Patients? Consider Random Screening for COVID-19
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40258-020-00579-4
About 2.5 percent of Stockholmers had an ongoing covid-19 infection, according to a [RANDOM SAMPLE] survey conducted by the Public Health Authority in the Stockholm region during the month of March-April.
https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/nyheter-och-press/nyhetsarkiv/2020/april/resultat-fran-undersokning-av-forekomsten-av-covid-19-i-region-stockholm/
In Canada the method and frequency of testing is a provincial/territory jurisdiction. At this time most of the deaths have occurred in homes for the aged.
I haven't looked at any of the links, but in addition to what has been posted earlier, population density and age structure will figure importantly.
Bw
Chris Ide
Variations are not only for number of cases or deaths but also variations of testing facilities and under reporting too.
Dear two main reasons have proven lower COVID-19 case-death rates in Asian countries I have mentioned in my published ebook Book COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) and Bibliometrics of Pakistani Research
.1. low population density per square kilometer and
2. median age (years)
Take care