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.
Highlights
By correlating levels of air pollution with COVID-19 spread and mortality controlled for varying population densities, we found a significant correlation in China.
We infer that living in an area with low air quality seems to be a risk factor for becoming infected and dying from this new form of coronavirus.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Funding Statement
No funding was obtained for the completion of this study.
Author Declarations
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Yes
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Yes
Footnotes
fornacca{at}eastern-himalaya.cn
Data Availability
The data are available in github.com upon acceptance in a journal.