Heliogeophysical Conditions in Moscow during the Covid-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

In this paper we consider the effect of heliogeophysical activity on the COVID-19 epidemic associated with the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in Moscow. An analysis of official data on the course of the pandemic has provided evidence of the effect of heliogeophysical activity on the spread of an infectious disease. The pandemic arose during the winter when solar activity was minimal and ultraviolet radiation was at its lowest. The study showed a significant relation between the infectious process and geomagnetic activity periods of outbreaks in the number of infections and deaths correlated with periods of a decrease in geomagnetic activity lasting several months. The impact of magnetospheric storms and substorms on the human body during a pandemic is also considered. It is shown that, during the minimum of solar activity during periods of geomagnetic disturbances lasting from one to several days, both the number of infections and the number of deaths additionally and statistically significantly increase. Evidence of a direct or indirect effect of solar activity on the occurrence of outbreaks of infectious diseases is important from the viewpoint of understanding the emergence and development of epidemics.