Initial evidence of higher morbidity and mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 in regions with lower air quality

Riccardo Pansini; Davide Fornacca

(which was not peer-reviewed) The copyright holder for this preprint . https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.04.20053595 doi: medRxiv preprint the spread of the virus through imposing widespread lockdowns. This has led to a decrease in air pollution, which in China likely prevented the deaths of 4,000 children under 5 and 73,000 adults over 70 77 . However, the winter months and low temperature caused people to keep the heating systems on, maintaining a certain amount of pollution (coal and electricity in China, gas methane in Italy, gas and electricity in the United States). In Europe 78 and in China 79 a consistent reduction in air pollution was recorded by satellites due to reduced anthropogenic activities during the lockdowns, although it occurred gradually 80, 81 , also due to weather conditions unfavourable to air quality. The quarantines certainly decreased the role that commuting has in the virus spread. Nonetheless, reduced anthropogenic activities and reduced mobility lose correlational significance over time, after the first stages of the infection 55 . Instead, the correlation with low air quality remains significant throughout the different epidemic stages.