COVID-19 higher morbidity and mortality in Chinese regions with lower air quality

  1. Riccardo Pansini
  2. Davide Fornacca
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Abstract

We investigated the geographical character of the COVID-19 infection in China and correlated it with satellite- and ground-based measurements of air quality. Controlling for population size, we found more viral infections in those areas afflicted by high Carbon Monoxide, formaldehyde, PM 2.5, and Nitrogen Dioxide values. Higher mortality was also correlated with relatively poor air quality. Air pollution appears to be a risk factor for the incidence of this disease, similar to smoking. This suggests the detrimental impact of air pollution in these types of respiratory epidemics.

Short summary

  • There is a significant correlation between air pollution and COVID-19 spread and mortality in China.

  • The correlation stands at a second-order administration level, after controlling for varying population densities and removing Wuhan and Hubei from the dataset.

  • Living in an area with low air quality is a risk factor for becoming infected and dying from this new form of coronavirus.

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