Impact assessment on air quality in Lombardy of the limitations for contrasting the diffusion of COVID-19

In this paper, ARPA Lombardy presents the simulation results and a preliminary impact assesment on air quality due to the introduction of limitation and social distancing rules for contrasting the diffusion of COVID-19 disease. A specific data flux and methodology have been developed on the base of the most recent emission inventory available for the Lombardy region and algorithms, ad hoc built up for the study, to estimate the primary emission variations of the main atmospheric pollutant, potentially affected by the anti-COVID rules. Two emission scenarios have been identified:”BAU”, defined as business as usual, and”COVID”, defined as the situation expected during the period. The main emission estimates on a daily base have been used as input in the chemical transport model FARM for evaluating the impact of lockdown on air quality in Lombardy. Simulated data have been also assimilated with measurements in 2020 and measured data in the three previous years 2017-2019. © 2020 HARMO. All rights reserved.

Conjunctivitis as a sign of persistent SARS-COV-2 infection? An observational study and report of late symptoms.

PURPOSE: To investigate if symptomatic conjunctivitis during the recovery phase of the disease could be associated to a persistent presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the upper respiratory tract. Secondary end points were to analyze the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the conjunctiva of ocular symptomatic patients and to record the presence of ocular disturbances at this point of the disease. METHODS: An observational study including consecutive COVID19 patients treated at Humanitas Clinical and Research Hospital who were attending for nasopharyngeal swab to confirm the resolution of SARS-CoV-2 infection and end of isolation. We examined 129 consecutive patients from May to June 2020. The primary end point was to determine if symptomatic conjunctivitis at this point of the disease could be associated to a persistent presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the upper respiratory tract. Secondary end points were to analyze the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the conjunctiva of ocular symptomatic patients and to record the presence of ocular disturbances at this point of the disease. RESULTS: One hundred twenty eight patients were included, 9.38% had conjunctivitis, none resulted positive to conjunctival PCR swab test, while two of them had positive nasopharyngeal result. Mean time elapsed since the first COVID-19 positive swab to the time of examination was 6 weeks ( ± 3). The only significant association was the presence of conjunctivitis with older age (65.3 ± 12.7 vs 56.7 + 13.5. p = 0.046). Nasopharyngeal swab resulted positive in 22 patients (17.19%). While 88 patients (68.2%) did not have any ocular complain during their COVID19 disease. The 40 patients (31.8%) reporting ocular disturbances complained about: redness (25.43%), tearing (19.53%), burning (18.35%), foreign body sensation (17.18%), itching (15.62%), and discharge (12.5%). CONCLUSION: This study showed that late conjunctivitis cannot be considered as a marker of persistent infection when patients are sent to confirm the resolution of SARS-CoV-2 infection.