The study aimed to assess the relationship between adverse meteorological conditions and the dynamics of morbidity and hospitalizations associated with SARS-CoV-2. The assessment was conducted using data collected from daily weather reports and reports from the COVID-19 Surveillance Center. The results showed that adverse weather conditions, such as high levels of air pollution and low air temperature, were significantly associated with the incidence of COVID-19. These results provide insight into the potential impact of weather conditions, particularly "Black Sky" conditions, on the spread and transmission of COVID-19 in regions with extreme continental climates.
The study evaluates the impact of air temperature on the pathogenesis and epidemiology of COVID-19, using the example of the pandemic wave caused by the Omicron strain in Tomsk. The results show that any short-term decrease in daily temperature by more than 3°C has a significant impact on the course of the disease in infected individuals, leading to an increase in severity and symptoms of the disease, and consequently, in the number of hospitalizations with a lag of 1-2 days after exposure. The findings can help healthcare systems and the population develop more effective preventive measures and protect those at greatest risk from serious complications. The study also highlights the potential use of temperature changes to predict hospitalizations, aiding clinics and medical facilities in quickly preparing for an influx of critically ill patients. Further detailed research is required.
The results of a preliminary analysis of the relationship between the short-term impact of air pollution exposure on hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 in Tomsk, Russia are presented. The statistical data on air pollution and COVID-19 associated hospitalization were collected and analyzed for the period from March 16, 2022 to April 14, 2022. This period corresponds to a flat plateau of confirmed COVID-19 cases after the main pandemic wave in 2022 in Tomsk and the Tomsk region which were associated with omicron strain of SARS-CoV-2. It was found that all representative peaks in a graph of daily hospitalizations coincide with the peaks in graphs of measured levels of air pollution. The increase in hospitalizations occurred on the same days when air pollution levels increased, or with a slight lag of 1-2 days. This allows us to tentatively conclude that air pollution has a quick effect on infected persons and may provoke an increase in symptoms and severity of the disease. Further detailed research is required.
In this study, the hypothesis that the human airways can serve like a wet-walled growth tube in the water-based condensation particle counters , and some environmental conditions can induce supersaturation and enhanced condensational growth of fine and ultrafine ambient aerosols and particulate matter during the first s tage of inhalation. The first preliminary estimations and calculations in this study have shown that the boundary conditions for increased supersaturation in airways have the following values: inhalation of cold air of T<22°C or cool, saturated air of T<25°C; and the ambient relative humidity (RH) is increased for a fixed ambient temperature, or; the ambient temperature is decreased for a fixed ambient RH. The preliminary results of the study show that supersaturation in airways can significantly change the pattern of human exposure to air pollution, ultrafine and submicron aerosols, and particulates. It was found that at least a possibility of activation of condensational growth for hygroscopic particles above 10nm and nonhygroscopic particles above 20nm can exist under supersaturated conditions in airways. Future investigations are needed.
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