Chronic exposure to air pollution may contribute to severe outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly exposure to O₃.

Among the 151,105 people with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in Ontario in 2020, we observed 8,630 hospital admissions, 1,912 ICU admissions and 2,137 deaths related to COVID-19. For each interquartile range increase in exposure to PM_2.5, we estimated odds ratios of 1.06, 1.09 and 1.00  for hospital admission, ICU admission and death, respectively.

Preprint: Association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and COVID-19 severity: a prospective cohort study

Air pollution by fine particles may be responsible for worsening the coronavirus epidemic

Image by Ben Kerckx from Pixabay