The Relation between Environmental, Demographic, and Geographical Factors, and COVID-19 Diffusion: A Case Study

This study analyses data on COVID-19 cases alongside environmental, demographic and geographic data. This study focuses on Italy that has had rapid diffusion of COVID-19 in society during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Results show that cities with little wind, high humidity and frequently high levels of air pollution — exceeding safe levels of ozone or particulate matter — had higher numbers of COVID-19 related infected individuals and deaths. Overall, then, results here suggest that that geo-environmental factors may have accelerated the spread of COVID-19 in polluted cities of North Italy, leading to a higher number of infected individuals and deaths. Implications of environmental and sustainable science are discussed.