Covid-19 and rural landscape: The case of Italy

Agnoletti, Mauro; Manganelli, Simone; Piras, Francesco

doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103955

Cited by 51 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The spread of the virus has also been analysed in differently populated areas in relation to the territorial economic models. According to Agnoletti et al ( 2020 ), the presence of industrial and agro-industrial activities in Italy is correlated with the infection rate even after controlling for the demographic, economic and environmental characteristics of the provinces.…”

Section: Territorial Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic and territorial characteristics of COVID-19 cases and excess mortality in the European Union during the first wave

et al. 2021

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This article explores for a large number of countries in the European Union (plus the United Kingdom) the main demographic differentials in positive tested COVID-19 cases and excess mortality during the first wave in 2020, accounting for differences at territorial level, where population density and size play a main role in the diffusion and effects of the disease in terms of morbidity and mortality. This knowledge complements and refines the epidemiological information about the spread and impact of the virus. For this analysis, we rely on the descriptive exploration of (1) data from The European Surveillance System (TESSy) database developed at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on the number of cases and fatality rates and (2) of weekly mortality data collected by Eurostat. The analysis at territorial level studies the changes in R0—the basic reproduction number—and median excess mortality, across territories with different levels of urbanization. The unique findings of this study encompassing most European Union Member States confirm and define the demographic and territorial differential impacts in terms of infections and fatalities during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020. The information is important for stakeholders at European Union, national and sub-national levels in charge of designing containment measures for COVID-19 and adaptation policies for the future by anticipating the rebound for certain segments of the population with differential medical and economic needs.

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Section: Territorial Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic and territorial characteristics of COVID-19 cases and excess mortality in the European Union during the first wave

et al. 2021

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“…The lowest energy-intensive landscapes have an average of 49 infected per square kilometre and 28 per 10 000 inhabitants, compared to 134 per square kilometre and 37 per 10 000 inhabitants in more energy-intensive zones. 15 Mortality data related to the first wave of Covid-19 infection (from 1 February to 12 May 2020) confirm excess mortality of 61% in the main cities of Northern Italy. Excess mortality was calculated as the difference between the observed mortality in the period and the 5-year mean.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Cross-regional variations of Covid-19 mortality in Italy: an ecological study

Oliva

Maddaloni

Marcellusi

et al. 2021

Journal of Public Health

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Background Disparities in cross-regional coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) mortality remain poorly understood. The association between pre-epidemic health and epidemic mortality can inform a policy response to future outbreaks. Method We conducted an ecological study of the association between the cumulative deaths attributed to Covid-19 epidemic in the 20 Italian regions and nine determinants of population health derived from a systematic review of the literature. We used a multiple least square regression to predict the cross-regional variation in mortality observed from the onset of the epidemic to 23 September 2020. Results Four independent variables best explained the cross-regional differences in the number of deaths attributed to Covid-19: the force of infection, population density, number of elderly living in assisted facilities and the standard rate of diabetes. The semi-partial correlation coefficients suggest that the force of infection and the number of elderly residents in nursing homes were the dominant predictors of the number of deaths attributed to Covid-19. Statistical controls and validation confirmed the generalizability of the predictive model. Conclusions Our findings indicate that a significant reduction of social contacts in main metropolitan areas and the timely isolation of elderly and diabetic residents could significantly reduce the death toll of the next wave of Covid-19 infection in Italy.

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“…To our knowledge this is the first study to investigate relationships between farming-related atmospheric pollution and COVID-19-related mortality. However, a 2020 study conducted in Italy found that the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections per unit population depended on the type of rural landscape [43]. The study classified rural All rights reserved.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The desire to consume meat encourages the use of intensive farming resulting in increase emission of farming-related pollutants. As urged by the Lancet Report [44] and by Agnoletti et al [43] we need to move towards more sustainable agriculture with reduced livestock raising. Finally we note that intensive agriculture is also a major cause of biodiversity loss worldwide, which has been implicated in the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses [44;52].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Ecological Study to Investigate Links Between Atmospheric Pollutants From Farming and SARS-CoV-2 Mortality

Contiero

Borgini

Bertoldi

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Exposure to atmospheric particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide has been linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection and death. We hypothesized that an interaction between SARS-CoV-2 infection and exposure to farming-related atmospheric pollutants worsens the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality. Our objective was investigate this hypothesis by performing an ecological study in five Italian Regions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Sicily) linking all-cause mortality, by province (administrative entities within regions), to atmospheric particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) nitrous oxide (N2O), ammonia (NH3) and methane (CH4) mainly produced by agricultural activities. Study outcome was change in all-cause mortality during March-April 2020, compared to March-April 2015-2019 (period) as assessed by mortality rate ratios (MRRs) estimated using multivariate negative binomial regression models that adjusted for air temperature, humidity and population density. The MRR for the interaction of period with NH3 exposure, considering all pollutants together was 1.133, equivalent to a 13.3% increase in mortality over and above that due to period (proxy for COVID-19 mortality) for each ton/km2 increase in NH3 emissions. Although the study was ecological, and did not provide evidence of a causal link between SARS-CoV-2 and farming-related pollutants, in accord with the precautionary principle we recommend application of measures to limit NH3 exposure particularly while the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

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Covid-19 and rural landscape: The case of Italy

Cited by 51 publications

References 39 publications

Demographic and territorial characteristics of COVID-19 cases and excess mortality in the European Union during the first wave

Demographic and territorial characteristics of COVID-19 cases and excess mortality in the European Union during the first wave

Cross-regional variations of Covid-19 mortality in Italy: an ecological study

An Ecological Study to Investigate Links Between Atmospheric Pollutants From Farming and SARS-CoV-2 Mortality

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