Air quality in Germany as a contributing factor to morbidity from COVID-19

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has been spreading in Germany since January 2020, with regional differences in incidence, morbidity, and mortality. Long-term exposure to air pollutants as nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), nitrogen monoxide (NO), ozone (O 3), and particulate matter (<10 μm PM 10, <2.5 μm PM 2.5) has a negative impact on respiratory functions. We analyze the association between long-term air pollution and the outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Germany.

METHODS: We conducted an observational study in Germany on county-level, investigating the association between long-term (2010-2019) air pollutant exposure (European Environment Agency, AirBase data set) and COVID-19 incidence, morbidity, and mortality rate during the first outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 (open source data Robert Koch Institute). We used negative binominal models, including adjustment for risk factors (age, sex, days since first COVID-19 case, population density, socio-economic and health parameters).

RESULTS: After adjustment for risk factors in the tri-pollutant model (NO 2, O 3, PM 2.5) an increase of 1 μg/m³ NO 2 was associated with an increase of the need for intensive care due to COVID-19 by 4.2% (95% CI 1.011-1.074), and mechanical ventilation by 4.6% (95% CI 1.010-1.084). A tendency towards an association of NO 2 with COVID-19 incidence was indicated, as the results were just outside of the defined statistical significance (+1.6% (95% CI 1.000-1.032)). Long-term annual mean NO 2 level ranged from 4.6 μg/m³ to 32 μg/m³.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that long-term NO 2 exposure may have increased susceptibility for COVID-19 morbidity in Germany. The results demonstrate the need to reduce ambient air pollution to improve public health.