key: cord-0788383-cj31p76v
authors: Takagi, H.; Kuno, T.; Yokoyama, Y.; Ueyama, H.; Matsushiro, T.; Hari, Y.; Ando, T.
title: Air Quality and COVID-19 Prevalence/Fatality
date: 2020-06-16
journal: nan
DOI: 10.1101/2020.06.14.20130740
sha: 9311d399ac7183d6e565f2f222e57edbc1e9a155
doc_id: 788383
cord_uid: cj31p76v

To investigate the association of real-time/observed ozone/PM2.5 levels with COVID-19 prevalence/fatality, meta-regression of data from the Northeast megalopolis was conducted. Daily Air Quality Index (AQI) values based on available ozone/PM2.5 data in these counties/cities (3/15/2020-5/31/2020) were extracted from US Environmental Protection Agency and World Air Quality Project. In each county/city, total confirmed COVID-19 cases/deaths (5/31/2020) were available from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, and total population was extracted from US Census Bureau. Random-effects meta-regression was performed using OpenMetaAnalyst. A meta-regression graph depicted COVID-19 prevalence and fatality (plotted as logarithm-transformed prevalence/fatality on the y-axis) as a function of mean ozone/PM2.5 AQI (plotted on the x-axis). Coefficients were not statistically significant for ozone (P = 0.212/0.814 for prevalence/fatality) and PM2.5 (P = 0.986/0.499). Although multivariable analysis had been planned, it was not performed because of non-significant covariates of interest in the univariable model. In conclusion, ozone/PM2.5 may be unassociated with COVID-19 prevalence/fatality.

Air quality defined by ozone/particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5)/PM10/CO/SO2/NO2/etc. has been known to affect pulmonary/cardiac diseases. In the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a few studies [1] [2] [3] [4] suggest that air quality also may militate against COVID-19 prevalence/case fatality. To investigate the association of realtime/observed (neither historical nor estimated) ozone/PM2.5 levels with COVID-19 prevalence/fatality, meta-regression (considering a county/city as a study in metaanalysis and weighted by inverse variance of prevalence/fatality) of data from the Northeast megalopolis (including >50-million folks, >15% of US total population) was conducted.

Five Combined Statistical Areas in the Northeast megalopolis comprise 111 counties/cities. Daily Air Quality Index (AQI) values based on available ozone/PM2.5 data in these counties/cities (3/15/2020, beginning of rapid increase of new COVID-19 cases, to 5/31/2020) were extracted from US Environmental Protection Agency (https://www.epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data/air-data-daily-air-quality-tracker) and

World Air Quality Project (https://aqicn.org/city/usa/newyork/). In each county/city, total confirmed COVID-19 cases/deaths (5/31/2020) were available from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center (https://github.com/CSSEGISandData/COVID-19/tree/master/csse_covid_19_data/csse_covid_19_daily_reports), and total population All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.

(which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.

The copyright holder for this preprint this version posted June 16, 2020. . https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.14.20130740 doi: medRxiv preprint cases (>780,000) and deaths (>52,000) (among >48-million population in the Northeast megalopolis consisting of Boston/New York/Philadelphia/Baltimore/DC/etc.) than these studies. 1 

Log COVID-19 Fatality All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.

(which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.

The copyright holder for this preprint this version posted June 16, 2020. 

Log COVID-19 Fatality All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.

(which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.

The copyright holder for this preprint this version posted June 16, 2020. . https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.14.20130740 doi: medRxiv preprint

Effect of ambient air pollutants and meteorological variables on COVID-19 incidence

Correlation between environmental pollution indicators and COVID-19 pandemic: A brief study in Californian context