Smog + Covid19 = increased death rate?
What initially seemed to be only a coincidental commonality actually seems to be in a causal relationship: pollution and a high incidence of corona infections.
Parts of China, New York, Northern Italy. These three areas are now considered to be the areas with the most infections, and moreover with the most deaths, which are listed as so-called corona deaths. All three areas share, however, besides the tragically high number of dead, another frightening common feature.
For example, air pollution is particularly high in northern Italy; the region is considered the industrial and therefore economic heart of the European country on the Mediterranean.
New York has, sloppily written, "traditionally" poor air quality due to emissions of various kinds and is the metropolis most affected by the virus to date - worldwide.
China, along with India, has been one of the biggest global air polluters for years, and on some days the cities seem to be literally choking on their emissions.
A recently published study by the Universities of Siena and Aarhus in Denmark, recently published in the journal Environmental Pollution, aims to prove that there is a connection between high infection levels and smog.
"We provide evidence that people living in areas with high levels of air pollution have more opportunities to develop chronic respiratory diseases. They are also more vulnerable to infections," emphasize three authors of the study Bruno Frediani, Edoardo Conticini and Dario Caro.
"The high level of air pollution in northern Italy should be considered as a co-factor when examining the high Covid19 mortality rate," the study continues.