Long-term exposure to pollution is linked to a greater risk of severe Covid-19, according to new research that calls for an urgent transition to clean energy to improve air quality.
The yet-to-be peer-reviewed research, to be presented at Euroanaesthesia – the annual meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) in Milan – says people in counties with higher levels of the pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are more likely to need ICU care and mechanical ventilation if they contract Covid.
