Dataset Information

The dark cloud with a silver lining: Assessing the impact of the SARS COVID-19 pandemic on the global environment.

ABSTRACT: The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 has caused tremendous suffering and huge economic losses. We hypothesized that extreme measures of partial-to-total shutdown might have influenced the quality of the global environment because of decreased emissions of atmospheric pollutants. We tested this hypothesis using satellite imagery, climatic datasets (temperature, and absolute humidity), and COVID-19 cases available in the public domain. While the majority of the cases were recorded from Western countries, where mortality rates were strongly positively correlated with age, the number of cases in tropical regions was relatively lower than European and North American regions, possibly attributed to faster human-to-human transmission. There was a substantial reduction in the level of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂: 0.00002 mol m^-2), a low reduction in CO (<0.03 mol m^-2), and a low-to-moderate reduction in Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD: ~0.1-0.2) in the major hotspots of COVID-19 outbreak during February-March 2020, which may be attributed to the mass lockdowns. Our study projects an increasing coverage of high COVID-19 hazard at absolute humidity levels ranging from 4 to 9 g m^-3 across a large part of the globe during April-July 2020 due to a high prospective meteorological suitability for COVID-19 spread. Our findings suggest that there is ample scope for restoring the global environment from the ill-effects of anthropogenic activities through temporary shutdown measures.

SUBMITTER: Lal P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7207165 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The dark cloud with a silver lining: Assessing the impact of the SARS COVID-19 pandemic on the global environment.

Lal Preet P Kumar Amit A Kumar Shubham S Kumari Sheetal S Saikia Purabi P Dayanandan Arun A Adhikari Dibyendu D Khan M L ML

The Science of the total environment 20200508

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 has caused tremendous suffering and huge economic losses. We hypothesized that extreme measures of partial-to-total shutdown might have influenced the quality of the global environment because of decreased emissions of atmospheric pollutants. We tested this hypothesis using satellite imagery, climatic datasets (temperature, and absolute humidity), and COVID-19 case ...[more]

PMID: 32408041

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Project description:BackgroundHealth-seeking behaviors change during pandemics and may increase with regard to illnesses with symptoms similar to the pandemic. The global reaction to COVID-19 may drive interest in vaccines for other diseases.ObjectivesOur study investigated the correlation between global online interest in COVID-19 and interest in CDC-recommended routine vaccines.Design, settings, measurementsThis infodemiology study used Google Trends data to quantify worldwide interest in COVID-19 and CDC-recommended vaccines using the unit search volume index (SVI), which estimates volume of online search activity relative to highest volume of searches within a specified period. SVIs from December 30, 2019 to March 30, 2020 were collected for "coronavirus (Virus)" and compared with SVIs of search terms related to CDC-recommended adult vaccines. To account for seasonal variation, we compared SVIs from December 30, 2019 to March 30, 2020 with SVIs from the same months in 2015 to 2019. We performed country-level analyses in ten COVID-19 hotspots and ten countries with low disease burden.ResultsThere were significant positive correlations between SVIs for "coronavirus (Virus)" and search terms for pneumococcal (R = 0.89, p < 0.0001) and influenza vaccines (R = 0.93, p < 0.0001) in 2020, which were greater than SVIs for the same terms in 2015-2019 (p = 0.005, p < 0.0001, respectively). Eight in ten COVID-19 hotspots demonstrated significant positive correlations between SVIs for coronavirus and search terms for pneumococcal and influenza vaccines.LimitationsSVIs estimate relative changes in online interest and do not represent the interest of people with no Internet access.ConclusionA peak in worldwide interest in pneumococcal and influenza vaccines coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic in February and March 2020. Trends are likely not seasonal in origin and may be driven by COVID-19 hotspots. Global events may change public perception about the importance of vaccines. Our findings may herald higher demand for pneumonia and influenza vaccines in the upcoming season.

Project description:Background COVID-19 pandemic school shutdowns impacted child food security. Resilient school meal programs are imperative to cope and persist through shocks and stressors. Objective To explore unforeseen positive outcomes and determine best practices during the COVID-19 pandemic for child nutrition directors in Mississippi (MS), Louisiana (LA), and West Virginia (WV). Study Design, Setting, Participants A semi-structured focus group discussion guide was developed based on the resilience capacity model (RCM). Four focus group discussions with child nutrition directors (n = 16) from MS, LA, and WV were conducted to elicit directors’ perceptions of encouraging outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic and best practices for building resilient school meal programs. Measurable Outcome/Analysis The discussion guide was tested for content validation by subject experts and face validation by testing the guide in one focus group discussion session. The primary researcher developed a codebook based on the conceptual RCM. Two researchers independently reviewed and coded transcripts to assess interrater reliability. Predominant themes were identified using an inductive and deductive content analysis approach. Results Encouraging outcomes included acknowledgment of school nutrition staff as essential workers and recognition of child nutrition programs as important for child food security. Best practices recommended by child nutrition directors include effective communication and networking among all personnel from policymakers to staff involved in food preparation and distribution, revision of standard operating procedures to include disaster/pandemic related mitigation strategies, taking initiatives to improve school meal provision process, and emergency management training for everyone involved in school meal provision process. Director recommendations included: in-class food distribution, increased food storage, preparation, and distribution equipment, and developing a best practices policy document for each state with a comprehensive plan for emergency management situations. Conclusions Future emergency school nutrition policies should encourage efficient communication, revision of existing standard operating procedures, and implement training for all school nutrition personnel. Funding Achieving Equity Investment Grant 2021 (University of Mississippi)

Dataset Information

The dark cloud with a silver lining: Assessing the impact of the SARS COVID-19 pandemic on the global environment.

Publications

The dark cloud with a silver lining: Assessing the impact of the SARS COVID-19 pandemic on the global environment.

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