COVID-19 Pandemic: A Wake-Up Call for Clean Air

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Since its identification inWuhan, China, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has infected morethan104millionpeopleandkilledover2.2 million people worldwide (1). Recent studies of airpollutionandCOVID-19casesandmortality in diverse international settings add convinc ingly to a large body of evidence showing that exposure to air pollution exacerbates viral respiratory infections and consequently widens health disparities. Meanwhile, the global lockdown response through a near global economic standstill resulted in a temporary improvement in short-term air quality, likely reducing non–COVID-19 deaths. A large proportion of the global population, including thoseinEuropeandtheUnitedStates, still live in areas where ambient air pollution levels exceed World Health Organization guidelines, with racial minorities being disproportionally affected. In this commentary, we review studies linking air pollution to worse COVID-19 outcomes anddiscuss severalways inwhich the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the urgent need to address the global problem of air pollution throughsustainable local andnational policiestoimproverespiratoryhealthandequity worldwide.