Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34121380›Full record

ArticleJournal of public health research2021

The COVID-19 incidence in Italian regions correlates with low temperature, mobility and PM10 pollution but lethality only with low temperature.

Mauro Giovanni Carta, Luigi Minerba, Roberto Demontis, Germano Orrù, Ferdinando Romano, Alessandra Scano, Angelo Restivo, Stefano Del Giacco, Simona Deidda, Davide Firinu and 10 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of public health research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Mauro Giovanni CartaDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari. mgcarta@tiscali.it.
Luigi MinerbaDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari. lminerba@gmail.com.
Roberto DemontisDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari. demrob@unica.it.
Germano OrrùMolecular Biology Service Lab, Department of Surgical Science, University of Cagliari. gerorru@gmail.com.
Ferdinando RomanoUniversity La Sapienza, Rome . ferdinando.romano@uniroma1.it.
Alessandra ScanoMolecular Biology Service Lab, Department of Surgical Science, University of Cagliari. alessandrascano@libero.it.
Angelo RestivoColorectal Surgery Unit, Department of Surgical Science, University of Cagliari. arestivo@unica.it.
Stefano Del GiaccoInternal Medicine, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Cagliari. delgiac@gmail.com.
Simona DeiddaColorectal Surgery Unit, Department of Surgical Science, University of Cagliari. simonadeidda86@gmail.com.
Davide FirinuDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari. davide.firinu@unica.it.
Marcello CampagnaOccupational Health Section, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari. mcampagna@unica.it.
Federico MeloniOccupational Health Section, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy . federicomeloni@hotmail.it.
Giulia CossuDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari. giuliaci@icloud.com.
Federica SancassianiDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari. federicasancassiani@yahoo.it.
Luchino ChessaCenter for the Study of Liver Diseases, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Cagliari . luchinochessa@unica.it.
Goce KalcevInternational Ph.D. in Innovation Sciences and Technologies, University of Cagliari. gocekalcev@yahoo.com.
Roberto LitteraComplex Structure of Medical Genetics, R. Binaghi Hospital, Area Socio-Sanitaria Locale (ASSL) Cagliari, Azienda per la Tutela della Salute (ATS), Cagliari. roby.litter@gmail.com.
Luigi ZorcoloColorectal Surgery Unit, Department of Surgical Science, University of Cagliari. lzorcolo@aoucagliari.it.
Cesar Ivan Aviles-GonzaleDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari. infermiere2010@gmail.com.
Paolo UsaiColorectal Surgery Unit, Department of Surgical Science, University of Cagliari. usaidoc@yahoo.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aim was to verify whether the density of particulate matter (PM10), the climate, and the mobility of people can influence the pandemic in the 19 regions and in the two autonomous Italian provinces as incidence rate and lethality. DESIGN AND

methodsThe incidence rates per 100,000 inhabitants and the case fatality ratio (CFR) (dependent variables) in all Italian regions were calculated in January 2021 at John Hopkins University Coronavirus Center. The independent variables were: Minimum average temperatures in the same month (January) of 2020; average pollution of PM10 in the air in each region in the last year available reported on a 0-10 scale to 0 = total absence of PM10 to 10 maximum pollutions; number of places in hotels occupied per inhabitants in 2020. Linear regression and Multiple Regression Analysis were carried out.

resultsThe spread of the COVID-19 in the Italian regions seems to be related to pollution of PM10, the number of beds occupied in hotels (as an index of mobility and temperature (indirect correlation). On the contrary, the CFR correlates inversely with temperature but not with pollution. Measuring the concomitant effect of two independent variables by means of Multiple Regression Analysis, temperature and pollution show a synergistic effect on COVID-19 incidence.

conclusionsThe study seems to confirm the literature on the influence of temperature on the lethality of COVID-19 but adds the new results of an inverse relationship between the spread of the virus and low temperature in regions between the Mediterranean area (which includes southern Italy and Sicily and Sardinia islands) and the cold European temperate zone which includes the northern regions under the Alps. A new date also concerns the summation effect of the risk between cold weather and PM10 air pollution was found. Due to several methodic weaknesses, the study has an exploratory than conclusive relevance.

Identifiers

PMID34121380
PMCPMC8636947

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.