Wildfire smoke exposure linked to COVID-19 case increase: study - Fox News

Wildfire smoke exposure likely contributed to an increase in Reno, Nevada’s COVID-19 cases last year, researchers suggested, noting that the findings could inform policies to tamp down harmful effects from air pollution amid the pandemic.

Exposure to tiny particles in smoke (specifically measuring 2.5 µm in diameter or smaller, PM2.5) "increases susceptibility to respiratory viruses" causes airway inflammation, and boosts "the spread and survival of bacterial, fungal, and viral bioaerosols," including those containing the virus causing COVID-19, study authors wrote in findings recently published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.

To determine any association between exposure to wildfire smoke and an increased rate of coronavirus infections in Reno, researchers from the Desert Research Institute compiled data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s online database with several air quality monitors situated in Reno and Sparks, applied a weighted average of PM2.5 concentrations in the area each day to approximate the population’s daily exposure, gathered weather data from KRNO weather station in Reno and obtained COVID-19 test results and patient data from Renown Health, a large health system in the surrounding county.

Wildfire smoke may greatly increase susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new research from the Center for Genomic Medicine at the Desert Research Institute, Washoe County Health District, and Renown Health in Reno, Nev.

"Exposure to wildfire PM2.5 accounted for an additional 178 positive COVID-19 cases at Renown alone between 16 Aug and 10 Oct 2020, or an increase of 17.7% [in the number of cases]," authors wrote in part.

"Air quality was affected by wildfire smoke for 59 days during our study period, with 50 of those days occurring between 16 Aug and 10 Oct 2020," the study reads, later adding, "We found a large increase in the SARS-CoV-2 test positivity rate at Renown during periods of elevated PM2.5 from wildfires