Regional Characteristics of COVID-19 Infection Trends 2020 in India

This study reveals the regional characteristics of COVID-19 infection trends in India in 2020 through GIS mapping. Analysis of COVID-19 infection trends by the state and month showed that Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Delhi accounted for the majority of cases until April. In May, the increasing numbers of cases in Gujarat began slowing down, while a large increase was seen in Tamil Nadu; this trend continued in June. In July and August, there was a rapid increase in the number of infections in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, in southern India. In September, the pace of increase in these two states slowed, and the number of new infections throughout India began to decline in October. In contrast, an increase in Kerala, which had not seen many cases until September, became noticeable, and in December it became the state with the highest number of new infections. State-wise trends in COVID-19 infection in India show certain regional characteristics by month, which are also related to infection trends throughout India.The contents of this study were presented at the Academic Meeting of the Association of Japanese Geographers in Autumn 2020, the Academic Meeting of the Japanese Society for Geographical Sciences in Autumn 2020, and the Academic Meeting of the Japanese Society for Geographical Sciences in Spring 2021. This study is part of a project for the National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU)