ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: COVID19 is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. Little is known on the impact of weather conditions on the transmission of COVID19. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess correlations between 6 different meteorologic parameters and the transmission dynamics of the COVID19 pandemic in 16 administrative regions (voivodeships) of Poland. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data for analysis were obtained from epidemiologic reports of the Polish Ministry of Health. For each voivodeship, one synoptic station was selected to provide meteorologic data on daily maximum and minimum temperatures, variability of daily temperature, sunshine duration, relative humidity, and wind speed. The periods with significant weather impact were determined using multiple linear regression. Crosscorrelation function (CCF) and random forest models were used to assess correlations between meteorologic parameters and the incidence of COVID19 as well as the number of hospitalizations for COVID19. RESULTS: In all voivodeships, the incidence of new COVID19 cases correlated with relative humidity (CCF = 0.41), daily maximum temperature (CCF = -0.41), variability of daily temperature (CCF = -0.40), and sunshine duration (CCF = 0.35). For all parameters, a similar time lag of 10 to 14 days was noted. There were no significant correlations for wind speed in most voivodeships. The risk of hospitalization for COVID19 correlated with daily maximum temperature (CCF = -0.48; time lag, 10 days) and sunshine duration (CCF = -0.45; time lag, 10 days). CONCLUSIONS: The delayed effects of the meteorologic factors on the incidence of COVID19 and the risk of hospitalization for COVID19 were observed. In each voivodeship, the dynamics of COVID19 transmission was most strongly affected by relative humidity and daily maximum temperature.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , Humidity , Pandemics , Poland/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2 , WeatherABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The role of environmental factors in COVID-19 transmission is unclear. This study aimed to analyze the correlation between meteorological conditions (temperature, relative humidity, sunshine duration, wind speed) and dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. Data on a daily number of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and the number of COVID-19-related deaths were gatheredfrom the official governmental website. Meteorological observations from 55 synoptic stations in Poland were used. Moreover, reports on the movement of people across different categories of places were collected. A cross-correlation function, principal component analysis and random forest were applied. Maximum temperature, sunshine duration, relative humidity and variability of mean daily temperature affected the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic. An increase intemperature and sunshine hours decreased the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. The occurrence of high humidity caused an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases 14 days later. Decreased sunshine duration and increased air humidity had a negative impact on the number of COVID-19-related deaths. Our study provides information that may be used by policymakers to support the decision-making process in nonpharmaceutical interventions against COVID-19.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Pandemics , Humans , Humidity , Meteorological Concepts , Poland/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2 , TemperatureABSTRACT
The technique of the orthogonal projection of ionosphere electronic content variations for mapping total electron content (TEC) allows us to visualize ionospheric irregularities. For the reconstruction of global ionospheric characteristics, numerous global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers located in different regions of the Earth are used as sensors. We used dense GNSS networks in central Europe to detect and investigate a special type of plasma inhomogeneities, called travelling ionospheric disturbances (TID). Such use of GNSS sensors allows us to reconstruct the main TID parameters, such as spatial dimensions, velocities, and directions of their movement. The paper gives examples of the restoration of dynamic characteristics of ionospheric irregularities for quiet and disturbed geophysical conditions. Special attention is paid to the dynamics of ionospheric disturbances stimulated by the magnetic storms of two St. Patrick's Days (17 March 2013 and 2015). Additional opportunities for the remote sensing of the ionosphere with the use of dense regional networks of GNSS receiving sensors have been noted too.
