Possible Association between Space Weather Variables, and the World’s COVID-19 Cases

This study aims to investigate the influential role of space weather parameters on the transmission of COVID-19. Solar radio flux, interplanetary magnetic field, Dst index, sunspot number, and solar wind speed were utilized to represent the space weather variables. The association of the considered variables to the number of the confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide along with five geographical categories, i.e. Asia, Europe, Africa, South, and North America, were investigated for a period ranging from 20 January 2020 to 5 August 2021 using Pearson linear tests as well as the non-parametric Spearman’s and Kendall’s rank correlation tests. Pearson linear tests showed that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide and the chosen geographical categories have a significant correlation to interplanetary magnetic strength, solar radio flux F10.7, and sunspot number. When the confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the Asia continent were excluded, the solar wind speed correlated significantly with the number of COVID-19 cases reported elsewhere in the world and the other geographical categories. The non-parametric Kendall and Pearson tests showed that the world’s COVID-19 cases and the other geographical categories had significant correlations with the interplanetary magnetic field, radio flux F10.7, sunspot number, and the solar wind speed, but not with the Dst index.