Does the environment matter?; Effect of environmental factors on COVID-19 transmission in the Republic of Korea

Abstract Background: Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a global pandemic and is a major concern of public health worldwide. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of environmental factors such as climate and air pollutants in the transmission of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea.Methods: We collected epidemiological and environmental data from two regions of the Republic of Korea, namely Seoul metropolitan region (SMR) and Daegu-Gyeongbuk region (DGR) from February, 2020 to July, 2020. Further, we analyzed the data to identify the correlation of each environmental factor with the confirmed cases of COVID-19 on a daily basis.Results: Among the various environmental parameters, duration of sunshine and ozone level were found to be positively correlated with COVID-19 in both regions. However, the association of temperature variables with COVID-19 transmission showed contradictory results upon comparing the data from SMR and DGR.Conclusions: In conclusion, our results suggest that the environmental factors could play a crucial role in the transmission of COVID-19. However, it should be noted that statistical bias could arise due to the disease outbreak being confined to a specific area and extensive epidemiological investigation.

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The impact of environmental variables on the spread of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-85493-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yong Kwan Lim ◽

Oh Joo Kweon ◽

Hye Ryoun Kim ◽

Tae-Hyoung Kim ◽

Mi-Kyung Lee

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Environmental Parameters ◽

Environmental Data ◽

Republic Of Korea ◽

Metropolitan Region ◽

Health Concern ◽

Ozone Level ◽

The Republic ◽

The Impact

AbstractCorona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a global pandemic and is a major public health concern worldwide. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of environmental factors, such as climate and air pollutants, in the transmission of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea. We collected epidemiological and environmental data from two regions of the Republic of Korea, namely Seoul metropolitan region (SMR) and Daegu-Gyeongbuk region (DGR) from February 2020 to July 2020. The data was then analyzed to identify correlations between each environmental factor with confirmed daily COVID-19 cases. Among the various environmental parameters, the duration of sunshine and ozone level were found to positively correlate with COVID-19 cases in both regions. However, the association of temperature variables with COVID-19 transmission revealed contradictory results when comparing the data from SMR and DGR. Moreover, statistical bias may have arisen due to an extensive epidemiological investigation and altered socio-behaviors that occurred in response to a COVID-19 outbreak. Nevertheless, our results suggest that various environmental factors may play a role in COVID-19 transmission.

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Current Distribution and Status of Non-Native Freshwater Turtles in the Wild, Republic of Korea

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12104042 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 4042 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kyo Soung Koo ◽

Soorim Song ◽

Jae Hyeok Choi ◽

Ha-Cheol Sung

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Human Factors ◽

Native Species ◽

Natural Habitat ◽

Republic Of Korea ◽

Current Status ◽

Human Populations ◽

Freshwater Turtles ◽

In The Wild ◽

The Republic

Globally, an increase in the transportation and expansion of the pet market is the most important cause of the invasion of non-native species. Invasion of non-native species disturbs native ecosystems and leads to socio-economic problems. The pet trade involving turtles has been globally recognized as the route through which non-native species enter ecosystems. As a result, the invasion of non-native turtles worldwide is causing problems such as competition, predation, transmission of parasites, and hybridization with native turtles. Every year, both the number of non-native turtles imported as pets in the Republic of Korea and the number of introduced species found in the wild is increasing. However, the current status of non-native turtles in the wild is not well known, posing major challenges to their management. In this study, we aimed to determine the current status of non-native turtles introduced into the wild in Korea. We analyzed the factors associated with the detection and distribution of non-native turtles. In total, 1587 of non-native turtles (three families, six genera, and 13 species including subspecies) were found in 648 sites in Korea: Chelydra serpentina, Mauremys sinensis, Chrysemys picta bellii, Graptemys ouachitensis, G. pseudogeographica pseudogeographica, G. p. kohni, Pseudemys concinna, P. nelsoni, P. peninsularis, P. rubriventris, Trachemys scripta elegans, T. s. scripta, and T. s. troostii. There was relationship between the distribution of non-native turtles and environmental factors such as precipitation and temperature. Moreover, human factors such as number of human populations and size of region were significantly related with the distribution and number of non-native turtles. In conclusion, it is likely that human factors are associated with the influx of invasive turtles to the natural habitat, while the possibility of survival and adaption for the turtles is associated mainly with environmental factors. Our result will be an essential guideline not only for understanding the current status of non-native turtles in Korea, but also for establishing strategies for management and control.

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Global Health Security: The Lessons from the West African Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic and MERS Outbreak in the Republic of Korea

Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives ◽

10.1016/j.phrp.2015.12.006 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 6 (6) ◽

pp. S25-S27 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

GHSA Preparation Task Force Team

Keyword(s):

Global Health ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

West African ◽

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

Republic Of Korea ◽

Global Health Security ◽

The West ◽

Health Security ◽

The Republic

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Assessment of Indoor Environmental Quality in schools by combining survey and modelling: a case study in Albania

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202131212002 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 312 ◽

pp. 12002

Author(s):

Francesco Salamone ◽

Lorenzo Belussi ◽

Ludovico Danza ◽

Matteo Ghellere ◽

Italo Meroni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

National Research Council ◽

Environmental Data ◽

Subjective Perception ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality ◽

Ministry Of Education ◽

Model Combining ◽

Objective Evidence ◽

The Republic

The article describes the outcomes of the monitoring campaign carried out in an educational building nearby Tirana, capital of Albania. Performed under the bilateral agreement between the National Research Council of Italy and the Ministry of Education and Sport of the Republic of Albania, the study proposes a combined approach for the assessment of the IEQ, not limiting only in the collection of objective data through the environmental monitoring of indoor variables but it also includes the subjective perception of indoor environment by the students through the compilation of a specific questionnaire. The classrooms were also modelled using a parametric model combining the functionalities of Honeybee plugin with OpenStudio and Radiance. The results are illustrated by maps of the indoor microclimate and illuminance with spatial resolution of 0.5 meters and one-hour temporal resolution step. Aggregated index and environmental data derived from models are compared to those monitored with nEMoS. This hybrid method overcomes the drawback caused by a low resolution of the monitoring steps and allows the comparison of the objective and subjective perception of the considered environmental factors, as well as the identification of discrepancies in terms of objective evidence and subjective perception related to the considered environmental factors.

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