THE ESSENTIAL
- An increase in long-term pollution increases infections and hospital admissions by about 10%.
- The polluted air inflames the lungs and causes respiratory or heart disease.
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There is now evidence “irrefutable ” air pollution dramatically increases coronavirus infections, hospital admissions and deaths, according to analysis released by The Guardian.
Research indicates that even a small increase in long-term pollution increases infections and hospital admissions by about 10%, followed by death by 15%. More than 20 other influencing factors were taken into account, including the age, profession and weight of the patients. It should also be noted that the area studied is a rural area of the Netherlands polluted by intensive livestock farming, which excludes the population density of large cities from research.
“Irrefutable” evidence
Many scientists agree that air pollution is likely to increase the number and severity of Covid-19 infections, as it is already known that polluted air inflames the lungs and causes respiratory or heart disease, causing populations more vulnerable. However, not everyone agrees on the strength of the scientific evidence obtained so far on the issue.
“What struck me was that it is really a solid bond”, said Professor Matthew Cole, who led the research with colleagues Ceren Ozgen and Eric Strobl at the University of Birmingham (UK). The team concludes: “Using detailed data, we find compelling evidence of a positive relationship between air pollution, and in particular concentrations [de particules fines], and the Covid-19 cases, hospital admissions and deaths. This relationship persists even after controlling for a wide range of [facteurs] explanatory. ”
Next epidemic waves
Establishing a direct link between air pollution and the increase in coronavirus cases makes it possible, among other things, to predict where the next epidemic waves will hit hardest. The latest Public Health France map (see below) shows that hospitalizations are concentrated in the most polluted cities, such as Paris and Marseille. To date, more than 170,000 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed within France, causing 30,120 deaths.
