Abstract
The fast spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has resulted in the emergence of several hot-spots around the world. Several of these are located in areas associated with high levels of air pollution. This study investigates the relationship between exposure to particulate matter and COVID-19 incidence in 355 municipalities in the Netherlands. The results show that atmospheric particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 is a highly significant predictor of the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and related hospital admissions. The estimates suggest that expected COVID-19 cases increase by nearly 100 percent when pollution concentrations increase by 20 percent. The association between air pollution and case incidence is robust in the presence of data on health-related preconditions, proxies for symptom severity, and demographic control variables. The results are obtained with ground-measurements and satellite-derived measures of atmospheric particulate matter as well as COVID-19 data from alternative dates. The findings call for further investigation into the association between air pollution and SARS-CoV-2 infection risk. If particulate matter plays a significant role in COVID-19 incidence, it has strong implications for the mitigation strategies required to prevent spreading.
Original language | English |
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Place of Publication | Washington, D.C. |
Publisher | The World Bank |
Pages | 1 |
Number of pages | 30 |
Volume | 9221 |
Publication status | Published - 24 Apr 2020 |
Publication series
Name | Policy Research Working Papers |
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Publisher | The World Bank |
Bibliographical note
This paper is a product of the Fragility, Conflict and Violence Global Theme. It is part of a larger effort by the World Bank to provide open access to its research and make a contribution to development policy discussions around the world. PolicyResearch Working Papers are also posted on the Web at http://www.worldbank.org/prwp. The author may be contacted at bandree@worldbank.org.
Keywords
- COVID-19
- coronavirus
- SARS-CoV-2
- Pollution
- particulate matter 2.5
VU Research Profile
- Human Health and Life Sciences
- Science for Sustainability