COVID-19 was claimed by scientists to be linked to air pollution, leading to higher infected cases and death rates. According to the World Economic Forum's latest report, a new study discovered a correlation between the number of COVID-19 cases and the level of air pollution.
The first COVID-19 case in the Netherlands was reported in late February, which then later led to over 50,000 cases by late June. Most of the infected cases were found in the south-eastern regions. However, the researchers found out these hotspots of disease transmission found in rural regions are pretty unusual since these areas have only a few people living together.
An explanation was provided by the Dutch media, saying that the rural areas hold carnival celebrations that attract thousands of people to parades and street parties. But, the study claimed that there is still a relationship between air pollution and COVID-19, even if other factors such as carnivals, health, income, age, and population density, were controlled.
The scientists found 12.3 micrograms per cubic meter was found in the Dutch municipality that has the highest annual average concentration of fine particulate matter, while the lowest only has 6.9 micrograms per cubic meter. The study concluded that if the most polluted municipality fell to the least polluted level, it would lead to 24 fewer hospital admissions, 19 fewer deaths, and 82 fewer disease cases.
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