Abstract
This work studied the spread of COVID-19, the meteorological conditions and the air quality in a megacity from two viewpoints: (1) the correlation between meteorological and air quality (PM10 and NO2) variables with infections and deaths due COVID-19, and (2) the improvement in air quality. Both analyses were performed for the pandemic lockdown due to COVID-19 in the City of Buenos Aires (CABA), the capital and the largest city in Argentina. Daily data from temperature, rainfall, average relative humidity, wind speed, PM10, NO2, new cases and deaths due COVID-19 were analyzed. Our findings showed a significant correlation of meteorological and air quality variables with COVID-19 cases. The highest temperature correlation occurred before the confirmation day of new cases. PM10 presented the highest correlation within 13 to 15 days lag, while NO2 within 3 to 6 days lag. Also, reductions in PM10 and NO2 were observed. This study shows that exposure to air pollution was significantly correlated with an increased risk of becoming infected and dying due to COVID-19. Thus, these results show that the NO2 and PM10 levels in CABA can serve as one of the indicators to assess vulnerability to COVID-19. In addition, decision-makers can use this information to adopt strategies to restrict human mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic and future outbreaks of similar diseases in CABA.
Highlights
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is identified as an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome novel coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [1]
Previous studies indicated the importance of the analysis of meteorological conditions in the spread of COVID-19 in highly densely populated areas [15,35]
On 5 March, the first national case of COVID-19 was confirmed in CABA [21]
Summary
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is identified as an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome novel coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [1]. November 2019 was the date of the world’s first case of coronavirus (COVID-19). Patient zero could be a person living in Hubei-Wuhan (China). On December 2019, China alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) of several cases of unusual pneumonia in Wuhan, officially identifying the cause of the COVID-19 outbreak. Atmosphere 2020, 11, 1045 in Wuhan, China [2]. COVID-19 produces mild symptoms in most people (fever, cough, sore throat, difficulty breathing, among others), but can lead to severe respiratory illness and death [3].
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