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Correlation between environmental factors and COVID-19 indices: a global level ecological study
Alireza Mirahmadizadeh1, Fatemeh Rezaei2, Kimia Jokari3
1Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research International
|October 15, 2021
Summary
Access to drinking water and sanitation services positively correlates with COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates. Improved water access and health services can help reduce COVID-19 cases and deaths globally.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Epidemiology
- Global Health
Background:
- Environmental factors significantly influence public health outcomes, including infectious disease spread.
- Understanding these correlations is crucial for developing effective public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between environmental factors and COVID-19 indices globally.
- To analyze the relationship between water, sanitation, and COVID-19 case and mortality rates.
Main Methods:
- Ecological study design using aggregate country-level data.
- Analysis of COVID-19 indices: cumulative deaths, case fatality rate, recovery rate, and tests performed.
- Spearman correlation coefficient and scatter plots to assess environmental factor correlations.
Main Results:
- Significant direct correlations were found between COVID-19 incidence, mortality, and performed tests with access to drinking water and sanitation services (p < 0.001).
- Inverse correlation observed between mortality from unhealthy water consumption and positive correlation between access to drinking water/health services and COVID-19 incidence/mortality.
- Montenegro and Luxembourg showed highest cumulative COVID-19 incidence rates; Tanzania and Vietnam showed the lowest.
Conclusions:
- Access to safe drinking water and sanitation services is strongly linked to COVID-19 transmission and mortality.
- Findings suggest that improving water and sanitation infrastructure can be a key strategy in managing COVID-19.
- Health policymakers can utilize these insights to develop targeted strategies for reducing COVID-19 incidence and mortality.
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