A group of academics at Cambridge University have found there’s a correlation between poor air quality and how lethal the Coronavirus is to people who catch it.
The team at the university’s MRC Toxicology Unit studied death rates and air pollution data across 120 regions found that the levels of some markers of poor air quality, nitrogen oxides and ozone, are associated with COVID-19 lethality.
“We conclude that the levels of some air pollutants are linked to COVID-19 cases and morbidity,” the researchers say. “We suggest that our study provides a useful framework to guide health policy in countries affected by this pandemic.”
There has been a suspicion that places with poor air quality have seen worse numbers of dead and seriously ill from Covid-19 but the link is not proven. The researchers point out that so far their work has not been peer reviewed so should not yet be used to guide clinical practice.
