Abstract
COVID-19 has caused a global pandemic with considerable impact. Studies have examined the influence of socioeconomic status and air pollution on COVID-19 risk but in low detail. This study seeks to further elucidate the nuances of socioeconomic status, as defined by the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), air pollution, and their relationship. We examined the effect of IMD and air pollution on the likelihood of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 among 66,732 UKB participants tested for SARS-CoV-2 from 16 March 2020 through 16 March 2021. Logistic regression was performed controlling for age, sex, ancestry and IMD or air pollution in the respective models. IMD and its sub-scores were significantly associated with increased risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. All particulate matter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels were associated with increased likelihood of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. Measures of green space and natural environment around participants’ homes were associated with reduced likelihood of SARS-CoV-2. Socioeconomic status and air pollution have independent effects on the risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. Green space and natural environment space in the proximity of people’s homes may mediate the effect of air pollution on the risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.
Highlights
Academic Editor: PaulIn December 2019, a novel coronavirus began rapidly spreading throughout eastern central China focused around the city of Wuhan [1]
Though our analyses only found PM10 to be significantly associated with testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in 2010, in both years measured, PM10 values exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines (AQG) recommendation
Our analyses demonstrated significance in all models. This suggests that green and natural environment space might mitigate some of the effect of air pollution on odds of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 but further, more targeted analyses would be required to better understand these relations. These results demonstrate that socioeconomic status and air pollution both have significant and independent effects on likelihood of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2
Summary
In December 2019, a novel coronavirus began rapidly spreading throughout eastern central China focused around the city of Wuhan [1] This virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has since developed into a global pandemic actively infecting 71.5 million people [2]. Though socioeconomic status and air pollution have both been demonstrated to play critical roles in a variety of disease pathogenesis, we know nearly nothing of their impact on SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility [6,7]. Metrics of air pollution have been associated with increased fatality in numerous countries [9]. These results indicate a need for further exploration of both the effect of SES and air pollution and how their interaction may function to increase SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility. We further characterize the impact of socioeconomic status, air pollution and their relationship on SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility
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