The impact of environmental variables on the spread of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea

Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a global pandemic and is a major public health concern worldwide. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of environmental factors, such as climate and air pollutants, in the transmission of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea. We collected...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2021-03, Vol.11 (1), p.5977-5, Article 5977
Main Authors: Lim, Yong Kwan, Kweon, Oh Joo, Kim, Hye Ryoun, Kim, Tae-Hyoung, Lee, Mi-Kyung
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Air pollution
Air Pollution - analysis
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
COVID-19 - pathology
COVID-19 - transmission
COVID-19 - virology
Disease Outbreaks
Disease transmission
Environmental factors
Environmental impact
Epidemiology
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
Metropolitan areas
multidisciplinary
Ozone - analysis
Pandemics
Photoperiod
Pollutants
Public health
Republic of Korea - epidemiology
SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Temperature
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Summary:Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a global pandemic and is a major public health concern worldwide. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of environmental factors, such as climate and air pollutants, in the transmission of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea. We collected epidemiological and environmental data from two regions of the Republic of Korea, namely Seoul metropolitan region (SMR) and Daegu-Gyeongbuk region (DGR) from February 2020 to July 2020. The data was then analyzed to identify correlations between each environmental factor with confirmed daily COVID-19 cases. Among the various environmental parameters, the duration of sunshine and ozone level were found to positively correlate with COVID-19 cases in both regions. However, the association of temperature variables with COVID-19 transmission revealed contradictory results when comparing the data from SMR and DGR. Moreover, statistical bias may have arisen due to an extensive epidemiological investigation and altered socio-behaviors that occurred in response to a COVID-19 outbreak. Nevertheless, our results suggest that various environmental factors may play a role in COVID-19 transmission.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-85493-y