Two mechanisms for accelerated diffusion of COVID-19 outbreaks in regions with high intensity of population and polluting industrialization: the air pollution-to-human and human-to-human transmission dynamics

Mario Coccia

is the (which was not peer-reviewed) The copyright holder for this preprint . https: //doi.org/10.1101 //doi.org/10. /2020 11 | P a g e Coccia M. (2020) Two mechanisms for accelerated diffusion of COVID-19 outbreaks in regions with high intensity of population and polluting industrialization: the air pollution-to-human and human-to-human transmission dynamics CocciaLab Working Paper 2020 -No. 48B/2020 individuals than windy cities (average of 12.77km/h). Cities with lower intensity of wind speed have also a higher level of air pollution (average days per years), in a meteorological context of lower average temperature, lower rain days, lower level of moisture % and a higher average days of fog. Table 3 shows that cities in the central and southern part of Italy have, during the COVID-19 outbreak, a lower number of infected than cities in North Italy. This result is in an environment with lower air pollution (average days per years), higher average temperature, higher average wind speed, higher rain days and lower level of moisture %. Table 4 confirms previous results considering cities with >100days exceeding limits set for PM10 or ozone: they have, versus cities with less than 100 days, a very high level of infected individuals, in an environment of higher average density of population, lower average intensity of wind speed, lower average temperature with higher average moisture % and days of fog. . CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license It is made available under a author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.