School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China.
International Joint Research Centre of Shaanxi Province for Pollutants Exposure and Eco-Environmental Health, Xi'an 710119, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 20;20(3):1943. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20031943.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a global public health concern for almost three years, and the transmission characteristics vary among different virus variants. Previous studies have investigated the relationship between air pollutants and COVID-19 infection caused by the original strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, it is unclear whether individuals might be more susceptible to COVID-19 due to exposure to air pollutants, with the SARS-CoV-2 mutating faster and faster. This study aimed to explore the relationship between air pollutants and COVID-19 infection caused by three major SARS-CoV-2 strains (the original strain, Delta variant, and Omicron variant) in China. A generalized additive model was applied to investigate the associations of COVID-19 infection with six air pollutants (PM, PM, SO, CO, NO, and O). A positive correlation might be indicated between air pollutants (PM, PM, and NO) and confirmed cases of COVID-19 caused by different SARS-CoV-2 strains. It also suggested that the mutant variants appear to be more closely associated with air pollutants than the original strain. This study could provide valuable insight into control strategies that limit the concentration of air pollutants at lower levels and would better control the spread of COVID-19 even as the virus continues to mutate.
新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）已成为近三年来全球公共卫生关注的焦点，不同病毒变异株的传播特征有所不同。先前的研究已经调查了空气污染物与由严重急性呼吸系统综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）原始株引起的 COVID-19 感染之间的关系。然而，尚不清楚由于接触空气污染物，个体是否更容易感染 COVID-19，因为 SARS-CoV-2 的突变速度越来越快。本研究旨在探索在中国三种主要 SARS-CoV-2 株（原始株、Delta 变异株和 Omicron 变异株）引起的 COVID-19 感染与六种空气污染物（PM、PM、SO、CO、NO 和 O）之间的关系。广义加性模型被应用于调查 COVID-19 感染与空气污染物（PM、PM 和 NO）之间的关联。空气污染物（PM、PM 和 NO）与不同 SARS-CoV-2 株引起的 COVID-19 确诊病例之间可能存在正相关关系。这也表明，与原始株相比，突变株似乎与空气污染物的关系更为密切。本研究可以为控制策略提供有价值的见解，这些策略可以将空气污染物的浓度限制在较低水平，即使病毒继续发生突变，也能更好地控制 COVID-19 的传播。
