(DRAFT 2) Assignment 2 Article Summary: What We Do and Don’t Know about the Links between Air Pollution and Coronavirus

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 In the article "What We Do and Don’t Know about the Links between Air Pollution and Coronavirus",  Lewis, reported in The Conversion (13 May 2020) that connecting air pollution and coronavirus is superficial. He states that correlating the two “have often failed to take other geographically-connected factors into account”. He says that air pollution in rich countries is “usually a population-centred problem”, this close link between cities and air pollution makes it hard to identify how pollution affects the mortality of COVID-19. He then focuses on urban areas, stating that they face similar situations through the regular use of the mass transit system. Air pollution data is one of the only legitimate data that is easily accessible, leading to one having the misconception that air pollution has a proportionate effect on COVID-19 while referring to the data. The writer believes that more datasets will appear in the future to allow one to study the connections between air pollution and COVID-19. Until that happens, he believes that connecting the two is inaccurate.

While I believe that air pollution and COVID-19 are correlated, there are also other factors such as tourist’s activity and chronic diseases that contribute to the growth of the virus.

The first factor that contributes to the growth of COVID-19 is air pollution. In an article “How Air Pollution Contributes to the Spread of COVID-19” by Lau (2020), an ecological study was conducted during the SARS outbreak in 2003 where it affected many countries. It was discovered that there was a “positive correlation between SARS-related deaths and ambient air pollution in both short-term and long-term exposure”. As the symptoms in COVID-19 and SARS were quite similar, the study had come to the conclusion that air pollution may affect a person that had contracted the illness in one way or another. An example of a country with high air pollution is in Northern Italy, which is one of the most polluted places in Europe. It was discovered that there was a high level of fatalities. Therefore, it can be linked that having high levels of air pollution contributes to the high COVID-19 fatality rate.

The second factor that contributes to the growth of COVID-19 is the tourist’s activity in another country. In the article “Influencing factors of COVID-19 spreading: a case study of Thailand” by Tantrakarnapa, Bhopdhornangkul, and Nakhaapakorn (2020), a study was conducted to determine if the tourists entering a specific country will contribute to the growth. The study concluded that the first case in Bangkok was determined as an imported case and that the spreading of COVID-19 was due to the “number of tourists staying overnight, the number of tourists, and generated income from tourists activities”.  This shows that the increase in tourist activities also leads to an increase in COVID-19 cases.

The third and final factor that contributes to the growth of COVID-19 is chronic diseases. According to an article by Whisman (2020), titled “Factors Contributing to the Spread of COVID-19 in Rural Communities”, 19% of the rural population are aged 65 and above. The COVID virus is “known to pose severe risks” to those in this age group. In addition to the risks faced, “approximately 80% of the aging population has a chronic disease”. Chronic diseases can be in forms of heart or kidney problems. These enhance the risk if a person contracts the deadly virus. They can also spread the virus to their friends and families. This shows that chronic diseases lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases.

In conclusion, air pollution and COVID-19 are correlated. Besides air pollution, there are also factors that I have mentioned above and other underlying factors we may not have discovered that also play a part in this pandemic disease. 

620 words

Reference:

Lewis, A. (2020, May 13) What We Do and Don’t Know about the Links between Air Pollution and Coronavirus. https://theconversation.com/what-we-do-and-dont-know-about-the-links-between-air-pollution-and-coronavirus-137746

Lau,B. (2020, July 7) How Air Pollution Contributes to the Spread of COVID-19.

https://earth.org/air-pollution-exacerbating-the-spread-of-covid-19/



Tantrakarnapa, K. , Bhopdhornangkul,B. & Nakhaapakorn, K. (2020, June 18)

Influencing factors of COVID-19 spreading: a case study of Thailand

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10389-020-01329-5



Whisman, B. ( 2020, June 5) Factors Contributing to the Spread of COVID-19 in Rural Communities

https://web.csg.org/covid19/2020/06/05/factors-contributing-to-the-spread-of-covid-19-in-rural-communities/

 

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