Association of ambient air pollutants and meteorological factors with COVID-19 cases in Malaysia and Indonesia: a comparative study

Salsabila, Norin (2023) Association of ambient air pollutants and meteorological factors with COVID-19 cases in Malaysia and Indonesia: a comparative study. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

Text 204515 NORIN BINTA SALSABILA lp FPSK4 2023 55.pdf Download (2MB)

Abstract

Introduction: In January 2020, the World Health Organization confirmed that COVID-19 is a global health emergency supported by the rate of case numbers at international locations (WHO, 2020). It has caused 2.2 million deaths and 98 million positive cases, all of which are life-threatening (Fraser et al., 2020). Environmental factors, such as air pollution and meteorological factors, have a substantial impact on the spread of respiratory viruses and play a key role in the transmission of COVID-19 (Yang et al., 2019). Lungs are the primary target of this virus and the virus spikes bind to the lungs’ cell receptors (Ali and Alharbi, 2020), exposure to severe air pollution increases the likelihood of inflection and makes humans more vulnerable (Zhang et al., 2020). Objective: The study sought to ascertain the correlation between Kuala Lumpur and Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta's air pollution and a meteorological component with COVID-19 cases. Method: In this research, an ecological correlation study was carried out. Data on air pollutant levels and meteorological factors were acquired from The Department of Environment Malaysia, Standard Air Pollution Index (ISPU), Himpuan Ahli Kesehatan Indonesia (HAKLI), and the Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi dan Geofisika (BMKG), while COVID-19 data was provided by COVID-19 official website from both countries. Air quality data for this study was collected from Cheras and Kelapa Gading because it was located close to the main road and surrounded by schools and residences, which makes it affected by urban activities. Data obtained were analysed with SPSS version 27. Result: In Cheras, COVID-19 cases were positively associated according to the spearman's correlation test with Relative Humidity (RH), in contrast, COVID-19 cases and O3 had an inverse relationship in 2020. Furthermore, spearman's correlation, CO and Ambient Temperature (AT) were linked with COVID- 19 favorably in 2021, in contrast, Relative Humidity (RH) showed a negative association with COVID- 19, whilst CO (R2 = 0.317, p < 0.001, f2 = 0.46) was the primary pollutant that impacted COVID-19. Moreover, in North Jakarta, cases of COVID-19 were positively correlated, according to spearman's correlation analysis with SO2, NO2, O3, CO, whereas Wind Direction (WD) and Relative Humidity (RH) were negatively correlated, while SO2 (R2 = 0.67, p < 0.001, f2 = 2.06) impacted COVID-19 cases most significantly among air pollutants in 2020. Following that, in North Jakarta in 2021, spearman's correlation revealed that PM10, PM2.5, SO2, and CO were strongly connected to COVID-19, in contrast to Ambient Temperature (AT), while SO2 and Ambient Temperature (AT) (R2 = 0.477, F (5,117) = 21.31, p < 0.001) were the primary pollutant that impacted COVID-19. Conclusion: In conclusion, air pollution and meteorological factors have a substantial relationship with COVID-19 v in Kuala Lumpur and DKI Jakarta. In addition, the appliance of social restriction results in a decreased amount of air pollution in Kuala Lumpur and DKI Jakarta, as related to COVID-19 instances. Future research should take a lengthy study period into consideration with the long-term exposure of the population to air quality based on location (urban, suburban, industrial, and rural), individual data and traffic density, in order to fill in the gap in COVID-19 individual transmission. Keywords: COVID-19, Movement Control Order, Large Scale Social Restriction, Air Pollutants, Meteorological factors

Item Type:	Project Paper
Faculty:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Depositing User:	Ms Norafizah Radzuan
Date Deposited:	14 Jun 2024 01:13
Last Modified:	14 Jun 2024 01:13
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/1877

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