Author: Benjamin Tak-Yuen Chan, Open University of Hong Kong

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected 187 countries and territories, with urban regions bearing most of the brunt. A staggering 60 per cent of all confirmed cases in China are in Wuhan and close to 35 per cent of US cases are in the state of New York. Metropolises generally register a higher caseload due to their large population size and density as well as the prevalence of testing.