COVID-19 Infection and Air Pollution Characteristics in USA

Coronavirus is diagnosed as a human-to-human infection at the initial stage by many of the researchers. As coronavirus is primarily targeting the respiratory system of the human body, the study tries to explore the relationship between pollution and increased number of cases in the states of the USA. The objective of the study is to determine whether the air quality index (AQI) of the year 2019 has a concern in the increasing number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in USA. This study included data of coronavirus confirmed and death cases from the dates January 22nd 2020 to June 30th 2020 for more than 45 states of the USA. Six AQI defining parameters—CO, NO2, Ozone (O3), PM10, PM2.5, and SO2—are selected for the study. The present study tried to identify whether air pollution is playing a significant role in spreading the coronavirus pandemic or not. Results confirmed that air quality index (AQI) defining parameters are not the sole factor behind the rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the USA.