key: cord-0696251-jj9n8o7b authors: Carmo, Rodrigo F; Nunes, Bruno E B R; Machado, Michael F; Armstrong, Anderson C; Souza, Carlos D F title: Expansion of COVID-19 within Brazil: the importance of highways date: 2020-06-27 journal: J Travel Med DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taaa106 sha: be1698fd747d7344bceba8bbd1da61be61e297db doc_id: 696251 cord_uid: jj9n8o7b Highlight: The highways were important routes for the dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 to the interior of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil after the introduction of the disease by international air travel. International routes should also be considered when assessing the COVID introduction and spread. Previous reports have shown a particular vulnerability in Brazil regarding potential unregulated international migration from neighbor countries and the consequent importation of vaccine-preventable diseases 5, 6 . It might also be true for other infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Our results demonstrate that local transportation particularities play an important role in the relentless advance of COVID-19. While potentially carrying the virus, these routs may also be important in the essential goods chain supply. Knowing the disease migration pattern aids preventive actions to contain pandemic diseases. As this study used only secondary data in the public domain, it is not possible to identify the subjects. For this reason, Research Ethics Committee approval was waived. R.F.C and C.D.F.S conceived the study, carried out the analysis and drafted the first manuscript. All authors discussed the results, critically read and revised the manuscript and gave final approval for publication. None. to May 28, 2020. A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China COVID-19 in Latin America: The Implications of the First Confirmed Case in Brazil Spatiotemporal evolution of coronavirus disease 2019 mortality in Brazil in 2020 Routes for COVID-19 importation in Brazil Infectious Disease Implications of Large-Scale Migration of Venezuelan Nationals Decreasing vaccine coverage rates lead to increased vulnerability to the importation of vaccinepreventable diseases in Brazil The authors have declared no conflicts of interest.