A recent study published by the Oxford University Press underlines the role of climate change and poor air quality in contributing to the harm wrought by the COVID-29 pandemic. The study, co-authored by Francesca Dominici, reinforced the findings of a prior study that found a link between levels of particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers and COVID mortality in the U.S..
In the new study, the team examined this relationship at a global level, finding 15 percent of global COVID-19 deaths linked to this type of manmade pollution. Comorbidies for COVID such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are also caused in large part by long-term exposure to PM2.5. For more on the methods used and the study implications, see this review in a recent edition of the Harvard Crimson.
