Rising pollution, Covid cases a double whammy for Delhi
The pollution levels which rise quickly in the Indo-gangetic plains with the onset of winter could worsen the Covid-19 situation in India, doctors and environmental experts have said.
Doctors say that since Covid-19 is a respiratory disease, rising pollution levels, which also affects one’s lungs, would aggravate Covid-19 infection in affected people.
Dr K.K. Agarwal, senior cardiologist and former president of the Indian Medical Association, told The Sunday Guardian, “Pollution which is caused by Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 and PM 10 affects the lungs and so does Covid-19. With increase in pollution levels, as we have seen every year during the winter months, all of us need to be extra cautious as the recovery rate from Covid-19 could be impacted severely since both Covid-19 and pollution affect the lungs. Covid-19 patients could take longer to heal because of weak functioning of the lungs amid a heavily polluted atmosphere.”
Dr K.K. Agarwal said that the use of N-95 masks will be crucial during the pollution period rather than the regular three-layer masks, as N-95 masks are best suited for pollution and could provide further respite to people.
Several studies conducted by reputed institutions have also linked pollution with its effect on recovery from Covid-19. A study done by the Harvard Institutes’ School of Public Health has found that even a small increase of 1 μg/m3 in PM2.5 levels was associated with an 8% increase in Covid-19-related fatality.
Another study published by various scientists from institutes like the Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Ernakulam; The Department of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Louisiana State University, Los Angeles, U.S.; among others, in a research titled “Potential link between compromised air quality and transmission of the novel coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) in affected areas”, published in the Environmental Research journal, has also found a possible link in rise in spread of Covid-19 infection when pollution levels are high.
Pollution levels in cities that lie on the Indo-gangetic plains rise to extreme levels every winter. States like Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, among others, face one of the worst pollution levels during the winter season when air circulation in the upper atmosphere is poor, leading to heavy smog.
Every winter, Delhi witnesses one of the worst pollution levels in the world, when the PM levels in the air reach around 600 to 700, making the air highly toxic to breathe.