Citation: Nor, A.N.M.; Jamil, R.M.; Aziz, H.A.; Abas, M.A.; Hambali, K.A.; Hassin, N.H.; Abdul Karim, M.F.; Nawawi, S.A.; Amir, A.; Amaludin, N.A.; et al. Spatial Distribution of COVID-19 Infected Cases in Kelantan, Malaysia. Sustainability 2022, 14, 14150. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su142114150 Academic Editor: Samuel Asumadu-Sarkodie Received: 25 August 2022 Accepted: 21 October 2022 Published: 29 October 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). sustainability Article Spatial Distribution of COVID-19 Infected Cases in Kelantan, Malaysia Amal Najihah Muhamad Nor 1,2, * , Rohazaini Muhammad Jamil 1 , Hasifah Abdul Aziz 1 , Muhamad Azahar Abas 1 , Kamarul Ariffin Hambali 1 , Nor Hizami Hassin 1 , Muhammad Firdaus Abdul Karim 1,3 , Siti Aisyah Nawawi 1 , Aainaa Amir 1 , Nazahatul Anis Amaludin 1 , Norfadhilah Ibrahim 4 , Abdul Hafidz Yusoff 4,5 , Nur Hanisah Abdul Malek 6 , Nur Hairunnisa Rafaai 7 , Siti Khairiyah Mohd Hatta 8, * and Darren Grafius 2,9 1 Faculty of Earth Science, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Jeli Campus, Jeli 17600, Kelantan, Malaysia 2 School of Energy, Environment and Agrifood, Cranfield University, Bedford MK43 0AL, UK 3 UMK-Tropical Rainforest Research Centre (UMK-TRaCe), Faculty of Earth Science, Pulau Banding, Gerik 33300, Perak, Malaysia 4 Faculty of Bioengineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Jeli Campus, Jeli 17600, Kelantan, Malaysia 5 Gold Rare Earth and Material Technoprenuership Centre, Faculty of Bioengineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Jeli 17600, Kelantan, Malaysia 6 Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Bukit Ilmu, Machang 18500, Kelantan, Malaysia 7 Institute of Environment and Development, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia 8 Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam 40450, Selangor, Malaysia 9 Jacobs Engineering UK Ltd., Colmore Square, Birmingham B4 6BN, UK * Correspondence: amalnajihah@umk.edu.my (A.N.M.N.); sitikhairiyah@uitm.edu.my (S.K.M.H.) Abstract: Kota Bharu city in Kelantan, Malaysia was reported with the highest cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among other districts. Kota Bharu is the capital city of Kelantan, which acts as the administrative, commercial, and financial areas. A large population pool may become a potential carrier for disease transmission to become an epidemic. However, the impact of population density on the COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia is still unknown and undiscovered. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of population density on COVID-19 as a potential virus transmission carrier using linear regression models. The chances of formulating new strategies for combating COVID-19 are higher when the driver of transmission potential is identified. This study shows that the highest value of infected area density is in Kota Bharu (0.76), while the infected risk area was highest in Jeli (0.33). This study found that there is a strong relationship between COVID-19 infection cases in Kelantan and population density (R 2 which is 0.845). Therefore, high population density was identified as a potential driver of transmission of COVID-19 outbreak. Understanding the potential drivers of the disease in a local setting is very important for better preparation and management. The outcome of the study can aid in the development of a new analytical model for strategic planning of Zero COVID-19 for securing the public health and wellness, both social and economic, by researchers, scientists, planners, resource managers, and decision-makers. Keywords: spatial distribution; COVID-19 model map; population density; infected cases; Kelantan; Malaysia 1. Introduction The spreading and outbreak of the transmittable coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected whole countries in the world during a very critical stage. The disease has serious impacts on world health as well as on economy, education, employment, and physical and mental health of human lives [1]. The onset of symptoms of the first identified case in Wuhan city on 8 December 2019 [2] and, as of January 2020, has continued to spread Sustainability 2022, 14, 14150. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114150 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability