Environmental factors and the epidemics of COVID-19

Abstract

The occurrence, development, and prevention of COVID-19 illustrate the environmental impact of human diseases. Human activities have dramatically impacted earth’s environment. Modern human society has increased health and longevity, but has created the conditions for emergence of new pathogens and their rapid spread across the globe (El-Sayed et al. 2021). Several recent publications have proved the close connection between the environment and the COVID-19 pandemic from different perspectives, including the impact of human activities. Population density, a topic that was rarely mentioned before, is directly linked to the spread of the COVID-19, which is transmitted from person to person, especially in close quarters. Wuhan city is densely populated and its citizens and visitors travel around the world, so it is not surprising that SARS-CoV2 rapidly spread within and beyond the city to affect millions of people worldwide. By analysis of the data from cities in China and in the USA, Yin et al. (2021) reported that population density is positively associated with the percentage of patients with COVID-19 infection, but not influenced by the timing of the first case of COVID-19 in each region. While human population density and activities are directly related to the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the relation between air pollution caused by humans and the spread of COVID-19 seems to be more complicated. Borisova and Komisarenko (2020) argue that the interaction of the SARSCoV-2 envelope with air pollution particulate matter is possible in humid areas. They pointed out that “Particulate matter can aggravate neurological symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 and vice versa, due to their identical nose-to-brain delivery mechanism and possible interference with neuronal effects.” Similarly, Sahoo and colleagues (Sahoo 2021) in India identified correlated air pollutants and meteorological factors with COVID-19 infection. Indeed, the effect of meteorological factors on the spread of COVID-19 is complex. While the general perception is that higher temperatures make virus less transmissible or less contagious, Raza and colleagues reported that COVID-19 cases and temperature showed a positive correlation, that the correlation between rainfall and COVID-19 cases was negative, and that that the increase in humidity was beneficial to stop the transmission of COVID-19 in Pakistan (Raza et al. 2020a, b). A similar study in Jordan indicated that the weather parameters that best predicted active cases of COVID-19 in the initial wave of transmission was the average daily solar radiation and the weather parameter most predictive of active cases of COVID-19 was the maximum temperature (Abdelhafez et al. 2021). In addition, their study showed that wind speed has a direct relationship with active cases. It seems that COVID-19 has its own favorite set of weather conditions, which are usually not met in one place for all. Furthermore, sampling is important for the analysis of environmental factors, considering the complex interactions of multiple factors (Borges et al. 2021). If someone says that COVID-19 has changed everything in human life, we would agree. COVID-19 not only spreads to every corner of the earth, but also affects all aspects of our lives. Daily life, travel, and even living habits are all affected. Even smoking habits have been impacted by the requirements to wear masks and maintain social distancing (Kalan et al. 2020). One of the most embarrassing things for scientists in the study of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in each Responsible Editor: Philippe Garrigues