Air pollution and meteorology as risk factors for COVID-19 death in a cohort from Southern California

The influence of meteorological factors on COVID-19 spread in Italy during the first and second wave

“…The associations that emerged from our analyses, specifically the inverted U-shaped association for temperature and to some extent for UV, confirmed the value of fitting non-linear models. In contrast, reliance on linear models, in addition to lack of control for confounding factors, could explain the null or otherwise inconsistent findings reported by others ( Chen et al, 2022 ; Jerrett et al, 2022 ; Kerr et al, 2021 ; Nottmeyer et al, 2022 ).…”

“…To compute more accurate estimates of the population at risk in the second wave, we subtracted from the provincial population the estimated percentage of residents who contracted COVID-19 during the first wave, given that such individuals were much less susceptible to re-infection, as also shown by the inverse relation of COVID-19 incidence in the Italian provinces between the first and the second wave ( Vinceti et al, 2021 ). Air pollution has been suggested to be linked to increased COVID-19 incidence and severity ( Copat et al, 2020 ; Filippini et al, 2020 ; Jerrett et al, 2022 ), and therefore could either confound or mediate the effect of meteorological factors on COVID-19. We analyzed our data controlling for population-weighted mean levels of ambient air PM 2.5 and also without controlling for it, with no appreciable differences in the results.…”

“…the capacity of outdoor climate variables and indoor microclimate to modify COVID-19 spread. Though several studies have indicated that meteorological factors could influence the spread of COVID-19, inconsistencies remain regarding effect size and direction for temperature, humidity and ultraviolet (UV) radiation ( Byun et al, 2021 ; Chen et al, 2022 ; Jerrett et al, 2022 ; Kaplin et al, 2021 ; Li et al, 2022 ; Majumder and Ray, 2021 ; Romero Starke et al, 2021 ; Zheng et al, 2021 ). Explanations for these inconsistencies might include residual confounding due to pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions ( Chen et al, 2022 ; Nottmeyer et al, 2022 ), differences in virus lineage and variant in different regions and populations ( Neagu et al, 2021 ; Zhao et al, 2022 ), changes in season or geospatial scale considered, and other factors ( Babin, 2020 ; Kerr et al, 2021 ; Li et al, 2022 ; Tan and Schultz, 2022 ).…”

Peculiar weather patterns effects on air pollution and COVID-19 spread in Tokyo metropolis

“…As a marker for urban air quality in Tokyo, especially during cloudy and lower PBL heights PM2.5 and PM10 particles at the surface level, together with other pollutants can increase human vulnerability to viruses reduction of the immune system, and associated risk of pulmonary infections by impairing the function of alveolar macrophages and epithelial cells in the lung ( Jerrett et al, 2023 ; Neupane et al, 2010 ). Several epidemiological and toxicological studies linked urban air pollution to the risk of cardiorespiratory COVID-19 viral infections, increased morbidities, and mortality ( Rebuli et al, 2021 ; Nobile et al, 2022 ).…”

Applying a multistate survival model to explore the role of fine particles in promoting frailty in the Medicare cohort

“…The present analysis estimates a hazard ratio 35 aged 40-70 years old, the current analysis designed a cohort of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older who had no prior history of chronic illness. 1,32 Jerrett and coauthors 35 observed a positive and statistically significant association between PM 2.5 exposure and the deterioration to intensive care (hazard ratio of 1.16; 95% CI = 1.12, 1.20) and subsequent death (hazard ratio of 1.11; 95% CI = 1.04, 1.17) among patients in the Kaiser Permanent cohort who contracted COVID-19. Both studies provide evidence for the role of PM 2.5 exposure to promote the onset of disease and subsequent death.…”