KUALA LUMPUR – The increased driving index pattern in Malaysia, especially in the Klang Valley, highly correlates with the surge in Covid-19 cases compared with its neighbours in Asean and East Asia, a limited data study found.
Its report, published by the office of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, found Japan to be in a situation most similar to Malaysia.
“Singapore, as an example, with an almost similar driving index pattern, shows a lesser correlation. Surprisingly, the data for Vietnam does not correlate at all,” the report read.
The research data – which was limited to publicly available Google and Apple data – made several observations based on index research.
“Another measure that might help us answer some of the questions is by looking at Google’s indices for ‘going to workplaces’, ‘going to transit stations’, and ‘stays in residential’.
“The ‘going to workplaces’ index is almost returning to pre-pandemic levels. This is also confirmed by the ‘going to transit stations’ index. This is further reaffirmed by the ‘staying home’ index.
“Does the increase in going to work correlate with the increase in new cases? Do Malaysians depend a lot on driving to conduct their living? Is driving an indicator of mobility?
“Can Covid-19 spreading be linked to mobility? We cannot answer these questions without granular data for a more complete modelling and analysis,” the report said.
It added that, from the start of this year, new Covid-19 cases and the “going to workplaces” ratio increased.
“Malaysia’s case is worse off than Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam but better than Japan and South Korea. The trend is alarming everywhere.
“However, we caution that correlations may not imply causality. Unless a proper causality study is conducted, the comments here remain a suggestion,” it concluded.
Currently, Malaysia is seeing a surge in Covid-19 cases, with daily numbers sometimes exceeding 4,000, in addition to a rising number of deaths.
Yesterday, the country logged 4,140 fresh infections and a record-high of 44 deaths. This takes cumulative cases to 466,300 and the death toll to 1,866. – The Vibes, May 16, 2021
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