Thursday, April 23, 2020

Spireon: More Driving Leads To Upsurge In COVID-19 Cases

Irvine-based vehicle intelligence and data provider Spireon, looking to provide more insight into the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, said this morning that its data shows that driving has a strong correlation to upsurges in COVID-19 cases. According to Spireon, its data shows that 10-14 days after recent spikes in driving activity, there have been corresponding upticks in the number of reported cases of COVID-19. The company said that the timeframe mirrors the incubation period of the virus, with the data serving as another indication that surges in public mobility can lead to an escalation of viral infections. Spireon said it used eight billion data points nationwide, studying driving activity of over three million vehicles tarting March 1st, for its study. Spireon CEO Kevin Weiss said "analysis of Spireon data shows clearly that having more vehicles on the road has negative implication for the spread of the virus," saying that the "correlation between more driving activity and new cases of the virus further substantiates the importance of social distancing."