Do wildfires exacerbate COVID-19 infections and deaths in vulnerable communities? Evidence from California.

ABSTRACT: Understanding whether and how wildfires exacerbate COVID-19 outcomes is important for assessing the efficacy and design of public sector responses in an age of more frequent and simultaneous natural disasters and extreme events. Drawing on environmental and emergency management literatures, we investigate how wildfire smoke (PM_2.5) impacted COVID-19 infections and deaths during California's 2020 wildfire season and how public housing resources and hospital capacity moderated wildfires' effects on COVID-19 outcomes. We also hypothesize and empirically assess the differential impact of wildfire smoke on COVID-19 infections and deaths in counties exhibiting high and low social vulnerability. To test our hypotheses concerning wildfire severity and its disproportionate impact on COVI

SUBMITTER: Yu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9705198 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature