The\nnovel coronavirus is changing nearly every aspect of life across the world.\nLike any disaster, the Covid-19 pandemic is hitting sections of the population\nharder than the rest, though. Since it\u2019s a disease that assaults the lungs,\npeople living in places with excessive air pollution are seen to be more\nvulnerable, especially poor homes and the elderly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs someone who has dedicated her career to public health\nissues, the Covid-19 crisis isn\u2019t simply a public health issue. It\u2019s directly\nrelated to social equity and environmental justice,\u201d said Gina McCarthy, president\nof Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is directly related to our fight for clean air, clean\nwater, a healthy environment and healthy communities. Covid-19 is affecting all\nof us \u2013 our health and our way of life, but low income communities and\ncommunities of color may face added risk,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Severe cases of the viral flu can\nlead to pneumonia, a killer disease. Even without a pandemic, air pollution has\nbeen linked to lung diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary\ndisease among other respiratory conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Studies\naround previous coronavirus incidents like the 2003 SARS indicate that patients\nin places with high air pollution levels were twice as likely to die from the\nbug compared to those who lived in places with little pollution. Even in\nmoderate levels, air pollution significantly increased the risk of death. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\nisn\u2019t data yet on how air pollution is playing into the current pandemic, but\nscientists suggest that international hotspots for Covid-19 \u2013Wuhan, Northern\nItaly and Seoul – have pretty high levels of air pollution. Air pollution maybe\none reason, although not a primary factor, for why outbreaks in those places\nhave been apocalyptic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Granted, lockdowns and restricted movements\nhave meant fewer cars on the road and grounded planes, something that has\ntemporarily curbed pollution crisis in major cities across the world. But it can\u2019t\ncompletely erase the decades\u2019 worth of damage that has already been done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Covid-19\nbug has especially been deadliest in older people and those with pre-existing\nhealth conditions (comorbidity), which makes it harder to fight off infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In African\nurban centres, air pollution is also a problem as is poverty. It\u2019s a double\nwhammy of higher risk and little resources. There are fears about how poor\nhousing and inadequate green spaces and healthy foods in African towns could\nincrease the risks. In such places, the Covid-19 pandemic is piling on top of\nother stressors. Social distancing orders have taken a toll on street vendors\nand casual laborers, most of whom live\nhand to mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At\nthis point, cases of the virus have mainly been reported in middle-income\nneighborhoods in Africa. However, the damage is feared to be calamitous should\nit leak through slum-based homes and the countryside where people rely on\nsmoke-emitting cook fuels in houses with poor ventilation amid grinding poverty\nand rickety healthcare facilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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