The impact of environmental variables on the spread of COVID-19 in the Republic of Koreaopen access
- Authors
- Lim, Yong Kwan; Kweon, Oh Joo; Kim, Hye Ryoun; Kim, Tae-Hyoung; Lee, Mi-Kyung
- Issue Date
- Mar-2021
- Publisher
- NATURE RESEARCH
- Citation
- SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v.11, no.1
- Journal Title
- SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
- Volume
- 11
- Number
- 1
- URI
- https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/cau/handle/2019.sw.cau/47866
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41598-021-85493-y
- ISSN
- 2045-2322
- Abstract
- Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a global pandemic and is a major public health concern worldwide. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of environmental factors, such as climate and air pollutants, in the transmission of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea. We collected epidemiological and environmental data from two regions of the Republic of Korea, namely Seoul metropolitan region (SMR) and Daegu-Gyeongbuk region (DGR) from February 2020 to July 2020. The data was then analyzed to identify correlations between each environmental factor with confirmed daily COVID-19 cases. Among the various environmental parameters, the duration of sunshine and ozone level were found to positively correlate with COVID-19 cases in both regions. However, the association of temperature variables with COVID-19 transmission revealed contradictory results when comparing the data from SMR and DGR. Moreover, statistical bias may have arisen due to an extensive epidemiological investigation and altered socio-behaviors that occurred in response to a COVID-19 outbreak. Nevertheless, our results suggest that various environmental factors may play a role in COVID-19 transmission.
- Files in This Item
- There are no files associated with this item.
- Appears in
Collections - College of Medicine > College of Medicine > 1. Journal Articles
Items in ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.