Causal effect of air pollution and meteorology on the COVID-19 pandemic: A convergent cross mapping approach.

ABSTRACT: Environmental factors have been suspected to influence the propagation and lethality of COVID-19 in the global population. However, most of the studies have been limited to correlation analyses and did not use specific methods to address the dynamic of the causal relationship between the virus and its external drivers. This work focuses on inferring and understanding the causal effect of critical air pollutants and meteorological parameters on COVID-19 by using an Empirical Dynamic Modeling approach called Convergent Cross Mapping. This technique allowed us to identify the time-delayed causation and the sign of interactions. Considering its remarkable urban environment and mortality rate during the pandemic, Quito, Ecuador, was chosen as a case study. Our results show that both urban air p

SUBMITTER: Rybarczyk Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10844283 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature