How are air pollution and meteorological factors related to Covid-19 infections?

Abstract

Title: How are air pollution and meteorological factors related to Covid-19 infections? Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a fatal incision at start of the 21st century, with long-reaching consequences. Generally, air pollution is a major contributor to health issues. We investigated the impact of surface-level outdoor air pollution (nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter) and meteorological factors (precipitation and air temperature) on the incidence of Covid-19 infections in Germany’s federal state Baden-Württemberg, which has both urban and rural areas. Material and Methods: We utilized data from Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service and Copernicus Climate Change Service to model environmental exposure in postal code areas in Baden-Württemberg. In addition, quarterly health insurance data on COVID-19 infections in 2020 and 2021 are available. We merged both data sources and analyzed the spatial and temporal data using a generalized additive model. This type of model allows for a flexible specification of the associations between the incidence of COVID-19 infections and the environmental stressors. Results: The highest incidence of Covid-19 occurred during the last quarter of 2020 and 2021. According to statistical modeling, residential exposure to environmental stressors has significant effects on the number of infections. Higher particulate matter exposure contributes to higher infection rates, while low temperatures are strongly associated with an increase in Covid-19 infection rates. It seems that the amount of precipitation has a consistent impact on the target variable. Conclusion: Based on a spatiotemporal analysis for the entire region of Baden-Württemberg, there likely exists a connection between environmental stressors and the incidence of COVID-19. Therefore, reducing the concentration of environmental stressors could be beneficial not only from an environmental point of view but also from a health perspective.