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Magali Hurtado-Díaz1, Julio Cruz de la Cruz2, Julia Blanco-Muñoz3
1Dirección de Salud Ambiental, Centro de Investigación en Salud Poblacional, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública. Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.. mhurtado@insp.mx.
Salud Publica De Mexico
|May 13, 2021
Summary
Climate factors explain a small part of COVID-19 variation, despite consistent findings in rapid reviews. Longer studies analyzing trends and individual risk factors are needed for better understanding of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemiology.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Environmental Health
Background:
- The relationship between climate factors and COVID-19 transmission is a critical area of public health research.
- Understanding these associations can inform public health interventions and pandemic preparedness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize and analyze the evidence on the association between COVID-19 and climatic factors.
- To assess the quality of existing research on this topic.
Main Methods:
- A rapid review methodology based on Cochrane guidelines was employed.
- Systematic searches were conducted in academic databases and preprint repositories for articles published between January 1 and April 27, 2020.
- Screening of titles and abstracts was performed by two researchers, with full-text review by five researchers.
Main Results:
- Out of 354 identified articles, 26 met the eligibility criteria.
- Twenty of the eligible studies indicated an inverse association between climatic factors and COVID-19.
- Nine studies were assessed as having moderate validity due to being ecological studies, despite adjusting for covariates.
Conclusions:
- Climatic factors explain only a small proportion of the variation in COVID-19.
- Further research with longer analysis periods is necessary to capture trends and seasonality.
- Future studies should incorporate individual risk factors for a more comprehensive understanding.