Covid-19 ‘could spread through Renfrewshire’
Coronavirus has huge p o t e nt i a l to s p re a d throughout Renfrewshire according to a new interactive map.
Published by think tank Scotianomics, the online map has revealed the communities most under threat of the deadly virus
The colour- coded map has highlighted that every council ward in the local authority area, apart from Erskine and Inchinnan, is in the high risk category.
The map was created based on the areas’ connectivity, population structure and health.
Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp, founding director of Scotianomics in Glasgow, said: “We want to be absolutely clear. This is nothing to do with the number of cases in an area or how well people living in each area have observed the lockdown.
“It is not a map of Covid-19 cases across Scotland but of the areas most at risk of community infection.
“What is evident is that, for a wide variety of reasons, the risks vary hugely in different communities across Scotland.”
Scotianomics – which was established earlier this year with the aim of identifying risks and opportunities for the Scottish economy – has submitted its findings to the Scottish Government’s Advisory Group on Economic Recovery and it has been welcomed by government ministers.
Mr MacIntyre-Kemp added: “It is our hope that this kind of fact-based, data-driven research will help shape the Scottish Government’s plans to get the best possible outcomes for both public health and the economy, by lifting lockdown according to the very different risks in different areas.
“Across the world, other countries, including China, Italy and Germany, responded to the initial threat on a regionalised basis and are now lifting lockdown according to regional variations.
“Our research suggests this is the most likely way to prevent a second wave and to protect the economy.”
A variety of different data has been collected for the map including population density; how many older people or those with underlying health conditions live in the area; how many people use road and rail travel; how easy or otherwise it is to access local health services; as well as socioeconomic factors, such as the average income of residents in each area.
The Covid- 19 Risk Monitor can be viewed online at https:// www. scotianomics. org/ covid19- riskmonitor/
It is not a map of Covid-19 cases across Scotland but of the areas most at risk