Ouvrage en collaboration
| Résumé : | The ongoing COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic is a once in a lifetime experience for the contemporary generations. During the first months of the worldwide epidemic most scientific attention was given to the medical aspects, in particular to epidemiology and virology. Gradually the reciprocal impact of the environmental quality on the transmission of the virus and the effects of the lockdown to control the transmission become documented. It becomes clear that the disease and the way countries limit its transmission, also have environmental aspects and impacts on health and sustainability.Sustainable development includes aspects related to economy, society, and environment. The lockdown, which was installed in many countries to limit social contacts and consequently the spread of the disease, has a strong effect on the economy from local to global: in many sectors people lose their jobs, companies struggle with a decreasing profitability, and countries do not know yet how to deal with the financial craters in their budget as a consequence of the ongoing mitigation measures.In fact, a systematic 3 R (Reasons-Responses-Recommendations) study reported mainly negative effects on 13 out of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Physical distancing, considered the most efficient way for a population to control the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2), causes psycho-social problems among elderly, young people and other groups in society. It is associated with an increase in security problems and profoundly disturbs tourism and migration.At the environmental side the number and the quality of the data on aspects affected either directly by COVID-19 or indirectly through the measures to limit the infection incidence, increase fast. Of notice in the recent literature are:➢ Studies show that the seasonal transmission of COVID-19 depends on temperature and humidity. For example, the virus exists during winter, but as soon as the temperature rises there is less transmission. A 1 °C rise in temperature would reduce transmission by 13 %. On the other hand, there would be an inverse correlation between the doubling time of infection and humidity. However, these relationships are only partially cleared out.➢ COVID-19 first infects the upper respiratory tract causing dry cough and fever, and spreads afterwards progressively to the lower respiratory tract and other organs. Therefore interaction with pollutants such as PM2.5 (particulate matter < 2.5μm), NOx, ozone, and SO2 in susceptible groups is not surprising. A minor increase of 1 microgram in PM2.5 concentration is linked with an increase in time on a ventilator for a hospitalized patient and possibly an 8-11 % increase of the COVID-19 death rate.➢ Population density: a correlation study in 5 states in India’s first waves showed that the coronavirus spread depends on the spatial distribution of the population density in 3 of these states.➢ At the same time lockdown measures resulted in drastic improvements in selected air pollutants and water quality in many cities worldwide as a result of a reduction in traffic and industrial activities. This equally resulted in lower emissions of greenhouse gasses.➢ The spread of the virus drives measures to use masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and other protection materials. In particular the home use of these items resulted in a massive amount of (semi-)medical waste in the environment, while at the same time specific measures to deal with this problem were absent.These data call to include an interdisciplinary, human ecological approach in the COVID-19 and related prevention and management strategies of the spread of the pandemic. |
