Capacity of transportation and spread of COVID-19—an ironical fact for developed countries

The widespread epidemic of the COVID-19 in developed countries such as Europe and the USA has sparked many speculations. What factors caused the rapid early pandemic of the COVID-19 in developed countries is the main goal of this study. We collected the main disease indicators and various environmental and economic factors in 61 countries around the world. Our results show that the number of cases is positively correlated with the country’s GDP. We further analyzed the factors related to the spread of the disease. They indicate a strong positive correlation between the total patient numbers and the number of airline passengers, with an r value of 0.80. There is also a positive correlation between the number of car ownership and the total patient, with an r value of 0.35. Both the flight passengers and car ownership contribute 66% to the number of total patients. The total death numbers and the number of airline passengers are positively correlated, with an r value of 0.71. A positive correlation between the number of car ownership and the total deaths is with an r value of 0.42. The total contribution of both the flight passengers and car ownership to the number of total deaths is 57%. Our conclusion is that the main cause of the coronavirus pandemic in developed countries is related to the transportation. In other words, the number of travelers determined the early coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen restrictions and screening of passengers at airports, especially international airports. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-021-12765-5.