Air Pollution: People Inhaling Dirty Air More Likely to Experience Severe COVID-19 Symptoms

Recent scientific study suggests that dirty air worsens infection for COVID-19 patients. Detroit City, one of America's most polluted cities were found to contain higher levels of air pollution and lead paint in the atmosphere that was believed to contribute to COVID-19 severity in the area.

Around 2,038 COVID-19 patients in the Detroit area with severe cases and in need of intensive care and machines were likely to live in the neighborhood with local air contamination, according to researchers of a study.

"Long-term exposure to air pollution may impair the immune system and make it more susceptible to viral infections, while fine particles in air pollution may also act as a carrier for the virus and help it spread," a statement from Dr. Anita Shallal of Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital.

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WOKING, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 01: A street sign in the St. John's area of Woking reminds residents of National Lockdown measures on February 1, 2021 in Woking, England. Health authorities said door-to-door testing will begin in the area this week, due to concern that the South African variant of the novel coronavirus is more resistant to current covid-19 vaccines.

The study believes that there might be 'systemic inequalities that led to the stark differences in COVID-19 outcomes along racial and ethnic lines', Shallal told the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

In a finding presented by the Doctor on Friday, "Communities of color are more likely to be located in areas closer to industrial pollution, and to work in businesses that expose them to air pollution."

Beta Variant is 'Deadlier' than Original Virus

Researchers in South Africa who studied more than 1.5 million COVID-19 patients said that the Beta variant may be deadlier than the original version of the coronavirus. This was found when the 'still circulating' Beta variant had been mutating, making highly contagious spread which according to the scientists, less likely of immediate treatment.

While the Delta variant currently held responsible for unprecedented increase in new COVID-19 cases by percentage in several countries, Beta victims infected in the second wave of the pandemic will 'more likely require hospitalization'. Moreover, the patients had a 31% higher risk of death in the second wave than the first wave as per the report published in The Lancet Global Health last Friday.

"We hope to repeat the analysis, comparing the third wave in South Africa to the first two waves, to similarly try to understand whether the Delta wave is associated with higher risk of death," said co-author Dr. Waasila Jassat of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in Johannesburg.

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COVID-19 Vaccines Were Effective in 'Real World'

Nationwide studies suggest that the mRNA vaccines often used in the United States had been effective so far, not just in clinical trials but in the 'real world' as well. Scientists claim that the vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and from Moderna "prevented about 87% of hospitalizations for COVID-19 that would have occurred if the vaccines had not been given," said Dr. Wesley Self of Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

After conducting a multicenter case-control analysis, findings confirm that mRNA vaccines were 'highly effective for preventing Covid-19 hospitalizations among US adults' during months of March and May this year. Lastly, COVID vaccination was proven beneficial for patients with immunosuppression, but with lower efficacy in the immunosuppressed population.

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