Sci Total Environ
. 2020 Jun 15;741:140244.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140244. Online ahead of print.
Effects of Meteorological Conditions and Air Pollution on COVID-19 Transmission: Evidence From 219 Chinese Cities
Zhenbo Zhang 1 , Ting Xue 2 , Xiaoyu Jin 3
Affiliations
- PMID: 32592975
- DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140244
Abstract
The spatial distribution of the COVID-19 infection in China cannot be explained solely by geographical distance and regulatory stringency. In this research we investigate how meteorological conditions and air pollution, as concurring factors, impact COVID-19 transmission, using data on new confirmed cases from 219 prefecture cities from January 24 to February 29, 2020. Results revealed a kind of nonlinear dose-response relationship between temperature and coronavirus transmission. We also found that air pollution indicators are positively correlated with new confirmed cases, and the coronavirus further spreads by 5-7% as the AQI increases by 10 units. Further analysis based on regional divisions revealed that in northern China the negative effects of rising temperature on COVID-19 is counteracted by aggravated air pollution. In the southern cities, the ambient temperature and air pollution have a negative interactive effect on COVID-19 transmission, implying that rising temperature restrains the facilitating effects of air pollution and that they jointly lead to a decrease in new confirmed cases. These results provide implications for the control and prevention of this disease and for the anticipation of another possible pandemic.
Keywords: Air pollution; Ambient temperature; COVID-19; China; Relative humidity; Wind speed.