The Role of Meteorological Variables and Aerosols in the Transmission of COVID‐19 During Harmattan Season

Abstract

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), originating from the Wuhan region of China, has caused devastating damages across the world. The impact of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has been reported in global transportation (Abu-Rayash & Dincer, 2020) and power system (Gulati et al., 2021). The greatest impact has been on the global health system, overwhelming the health care facilities of many developed and developing countries (Armocida et al., 2020). COVID-19 infections could be asymptomatic, symptomatic or presymptomatic leading to severe forms which require intubation and can lead to death (Lee et al., 2020). For instance, older patients with more than one underlying medical condition (e.g., hypertension, obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney diseases etc.) are more predisposed to severe COVID-19 complications (Fang et al., 2020; R. T. CDC et al., 2020), although younger and healthier patients are more likely to respond faster to treatment (C. CDC et al., 2020;Wang et al., 2020). Multiple organ failure and cardiopulmonary complications, such as myopericarditis, pulmonary embolism and acute respiratory distress syndrome, represent some of the major complications of severe COVID-19. The COVID-19 outbreak has created a global health crisis. There are a total of 171,259,456 COVID-19 cases, 3,567,030 deaths worldwide as of 2 June 2021 (John Hopkins University, 2021) with Nigeria having the highest number of cases (166,534) and deaths (2,099) in West Africa. The first case of COVID-19 incidence was reported on 27 February 2020. Since then the reported confirmed cases increased considerably to about 1,350 cases before the end of the second month. Lagos State, Kano State and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) reported the highest number of cases in Nigeria. The Federal government of Nigeria and various State Governments imposed restrictive measures such suspension of all activities and religious gatherings, indefinite closure of public and private schools/institutions, extension of the travel ban to some countries, suspension of the

Comparative Assessment of Particulate Matter Using Low Cost Sensor: A Case Study of Abuja and Kano, Nigeria

“…The increase in PM from January to March can be associated with tiling of land, bush burning as farmer will be getting their land ready for farming as we approach rainy season and this is in line with the study reported by Abulude & Abulude (2021) and Ogunjo et al (2022). The decrease in PM from May to October can be trace to wet season as precipitation helps to lower the amount of PM in the atmosphere as the particles drop together with rain to the ground.…”

“…Harmattan is a cool, dry breeze that sweeps from the northeast or east across the Western Sahara. Up to half of the world's substantial dust emissions come from the Sahara Desert (Ogunjo et al, 2022). Generally it has been reported that in Nigeria the rainy season falls between the months of April through October and the dry season in between November through March Akpootu et al, 2019a) Kano state (Latitude: 12° 40′ and 10° 30′N, and longitude: 7° 40′ and 9° 30′ E).…”

“…Such information is essential for increasing public awareness of air pollution throughout SSA. Ogunjo et al (2022) conducted a study to analyze PMs with a view to establish the places with the strongest connections among COVID-19 cases, In their study they utilized low-cost air quality monitors (Purple Air sensor) across seven administrative states in Nigeria. According to them, strong positive correlation values exits between COVID-19 cases and PMs.…”

Sustainable Development Goals in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review

“…Therefore, adequate characterization of the energy systems' performance during the pandemic is needed to successfully drive post-pandemic recuperation and to better manage similar events in the future. Different studies highlight a reduction in the hourly energy demand at the local level, while higher consumption moved from the productive and commercial sectors to households [153][154][155]. In the Iberian Peninsula (i.e., at national scale), the average consumption reduced by 12% to 17% affecting the electricity market [156].…”

Association Between Weather Parameters and SARS‐CoV‐2 Confirmed Cases in Two South African Cities

“…In a study of 20 countries, meteorological factors have been adjudged to be good predictors of COVID‐19 cases based on the Granger causality test (Mirri et al., 2021 ; Sarkodie & Owusu, 2020 ). Atmospheric parameters such as temperature and humidity have been found to play important role in the transmission of COVID‐19 within Nigeria (Ogunjo, Olaniyan et al., 2022 ). It is clear from previous and relevant studies that weather parameters may have associations with COVID‐19 cases and that variation in transmission and death tolls are not uncommon in different regions; thus, a few more local/regional studies may not only help in consolidating the impact of climatic patterns from the less reported countries and localities, for instance, South Africa, but also serve as a useful stepping stone to further research though not without its challenges.…”