The Role of Meteorological Parameters in COVID-19 Infection

ABSTRACT

Objective: The SARS-CoV-2 infection outbreak was given the name Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization. Meteorological parameters are one of the most important factors affecting infectious diseases. The aim of this study is to analyze the correlation between meteorological parameters and the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: One hundred ninety-seven COVID-19 patients diagnosed and treated in the Turkish province of Duzce between 29.03.2020 and 04.05.2020 were included in this study. Results: We found the relationship between air quality parameters and COVID-19 case numbers revealed significant negative correlation between positive patient number and air temperature, relative humidity, and NO2, and significant positive correlation with air pressure, but no correlation with PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO, or CO. Conclusions: Our findings are important as a preliminary study, since interactions between air pollutants and meteorological factors may be involved in the transmission and pathogenesis of COVID-19, and large-scale studies should now be designed for a better understanding of these interactions.