ADVANCEMENT OF THE SCIENCE
FIGURE 1
Distribution of A) PM 2.5 , B) PM 10 , C) COVID-19 Infections, and D) COVID-19 Deaths
C
A
B
D
Source: Prinz & Richter, 2022. Figures reproduced with permission from Elsevier (No. 5874480599780).
ties were used to study PM 2.5 levels and data from 670 counties were used to study O 3 levels. These counties had high COVID-19 infection rates, which accounted for ap- proximately 80% of the total cases in the U.S. during the study period. Statistical re- sults showed that an increase of 10 µg/m 3 in PM 2.5 and O 3 concentrations compared with average levels increased the daily confirmed
cases by 9.41% and 2.42%, respectively. By excluding the long-term effects of PM 2.5 , Xu et al. (2022) showed that this pollutant still negatively affects health: short-term exposure to air pollutants, particularly PM 2.5 , might be associated with the spread of the pandemic. It was therefore recommended that policymak- ers consider the effect of these harmful pol- lutants. Figure 2 shows the PM 2.5 and O 3 con-
centrations across the U.S. during the study time and their relation to cases of COVID-19 infection (Xu et al., 2022.) Use of Face Masks Wearing a face mask is an important factor in hindering the spread of COVID-19. During the pandemic, many countries made it man- datory to wear a face mask in public areas.
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Volume 87 • Number 7
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