Effects of Air Pollution on COVID-19 and Public Health

Abstract

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), generate by a novel virus SARS-CoV-2, is rapidly spreading all over the world, generating a high number of deaths. One of the current questions in the field of environmental science is to explain the relationships determining the diffusion of COVID-19 in specific regions of countries. The research here focuses on case study of Italy, one of the countries in the World to experience a rapid increase in confirmed cases and deaths. Results suggest that diffusion of COVID-19 is very high in cities with high air pollution generating severe negative effects on public health o. In particular, results reveal that, among Italian provincial capitals, the number of infected people was higher in cities with more than 100 days per year exceeding limits set for PM10 or ozone, cities located in hinterland zones (i.e. away from the coast), cities having a low average intensity of wind speed and cities with a lower temperature. In hinterland cities (mostly those bordering large urban conurbations) with a high number of days exceeding PM10 and ozone limits, coupled with low wind speed (atmospheric stability), the average number of infected people in April 2020 more than tripled those that had less than 100 days of excessive air pollution. In fact, results show that more than 75% of infected individuals and about 81% of deaths in Italy of COVID-19 are in regions with high air pollution. This study must conclude that a long-run strategy to constrain future epidemics similar to the COVID-19, reducing the negative impact on public health has also to be designed in terms of environmental and sustainability policies and not only in terms of efficient approaches in medicine.

The Impact of Lockdown on Public Health During the First Wave of Covid-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned for Designing Effective Containment Measures to Cope With Second Wave

“…Contraction of real GDP growth % in 2020 In general, the policy response of lockdown has the main aim, as containment measure, to reduce the impact of infectious disease on public health, but results here suggest contradictory and not significant effects on reduction of confirmed cases and fatality rates of longer period of lockdown compared to shorter period. However, longer period of lockdown has a main indirect positive effect on public health because of the reduction of concentrations of pollutants that improves air quality, lowering future incidence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and expected averted premature deaths because of air pollution declines (cf., Coccia, , 2020dPope, 1989Pope, , 1996.…”

The effects of the first and second wave of COVID-19 pandemic on public health

“…Hence, these conclusions are of course tentative because in the presence of the second and future waves of the COVID-19 pandemic manifold socioeconomic and environmental factors play a critical role (Coccia, 2020a(Coccia, , 2020b(Coccia, , 2020c(Coccia, , 2020d. There is need for much more detailed research on how COVID-19 pandemic and similar epidemics evolve in different economic, social, environmental and institutional contexts and especially in a specific period of time of a given geographical area (Coccia, 2020e).…”

“…Instead, the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic has a dynamic still in evolution that seems also to be related to climate and seasonality that may increase the impact on public health in autumn-winter season 2020-2021 like all influenza diseases, though with a lower intensity compared to the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. helped with the approaching of summer season 2020 (cf., Coccia, 2020dTobías, 2020). In general, the COVID-19 pandemic tends to have natural dynamics and seasonality that policy responses of nations seem to mitigate but without generate a significant reduction of infected cases and fatality rates (Coccia, 2020f).…”

National Lockdown to Cope with COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects (Contradictory) on Public Health and (Negative) on Economic System

“…Figure 3 provides trends of con rmed cases and fatality rates that approximatively do not suggest a difference in the temporal dynamics of evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in countries with longer or shorter period of lockdown. In particular, the reduction of fatality rates over time in groups under study here seems to be due to the favorable climate conditions of summer season that studies show how it can reduce the diffusion of the COVID-19 rather than different strategies of longer or shorter period of lockdown (cf., studies by Coccia, 2020Coccia, , 2020aCoccia, , 2020bCoccia, , 2020cCoccia, , 2020dRosario Denes et al, 2020). o Impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on economic system Figure 4 and table 6 show ictu oculi that countries applying a longer period of lockdown they have had a higher reduction of GDP comparing the index of GDP of the second quarter 2020 to the same indicator in the same period of 2019 and comparing GDP of the second quarter 2020 to the rst quarter (Q) of 2020.…”