This study assessed multiple potential drivers of the COVID-19 spread, by conducting an analysis of time-series data on the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases from December 2019 through June 2020, as well as on country/region-specific variables, e.g. socioeconomic conditions and screening effort (number of SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests conducted), that could potentially affect the number of COVID-19 cases. Specifically, we explored the roles of climate, international mobility, and region-specific conditions in the disease expansion by controlling covariates. In this analysis, we evaluated the relative importance of climate (temperature and precipitation relevant to habitat suitability for SARS-CoV-2), region-specific COVID-19 susceptibility (BCG vaccination factors, malaria incidence, and the relative proportion of citizens aged over 65 years in the population, as these were hypothesized to be linked with host susceptibility to COVID-19), and human mobility (international travel) in shaping the current geographical patterns of COVID-19 spread around the world.