COVID-19 and Environmental Factors. A PRISMA-Compliant Systematic Review

Author(s): Chatziprodromidou I, Dimitrakopoulou ME, Apostolou T, Vantarakis A

The emergence of a novel human coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has become a global health concern causing severe respiratory tract infections to humans. Human-to-human transmissions have been described with incubation times between 2-10 days, facilitating its airborne spread via droplets. The impact of environmental factors on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is under consideration. Therefore, we reviewed the literature on all available information about the impact of environmental factors on human and veterinary coronaviruses. Temperature, humidity and other environmental factors have been recorded as environmental drivers of the COVID-19 outbreak in China and in other countries. It is also reported that, higher temperatures might be positive to decrease the COVID-19 incidence. In our review, the analysis of 23 studies show evidence that high temperature and high humidity reduce the COVID-19 transmission. However, further studies concerning the role of other environmental (namely meteorological) factors should be conducted in order to prove this correlation. As no specific therapies are available for SARS-CoV-2, early containment and prevention of further spread will be crucial to stop the ongoing outbreak and to control this novel infectious threat.