Five waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and green-blue spaces in urban and rural areas in Poland

Potential physical distance in the open urban grey space of city counties in Poland and COVID-19 cases and deaths throughout the pandemic

BACKGROUND

This paper reports the structure of grey space and the number of cases and deaths throughout the COVID-19 pandemic (from March 2020 to June 2023) in 66 city counties in Poland.

METHODS

Three main components of urban grey space (built-up areas, transport areas, and industrial areas) and the potential physical distance between residents in the open grey space - was determined. The total number of COVID-19 cases and deaths covered the entire period of the pandemic (totalling 1,214 days) was identified. The incidence and mortality density rates and the case fatality ratio were calculated. Simple and multiple linear regression models were developed to predict the quantitative characteristics of COVID-19 independent of city size.

RESULTS

Within the open spaces of cities, the average distance between residents was 17.7 m and was several times greater than that in closed spaces (1.5-2.0 m), which significantly reduced the risk of COVID-19 infection. Strong relationships were observed between the potential physical distance in the grey space structure and the total number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. The coefficient of determination (R2) for these relationships in the eight city groups by population was 0.90 for cases and 0.88 for deaths (significance level p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The study contributes to understanding how potential physical distance based on population density in grey space, might have influenced the course of COVID-19 during the pandemic. These findings can be applied to planning antiviral protection and to implementing future multilevel restrictions aimed at reducing the reproduction of SARS-CoV-2 in cities of various sizes.

Unveiling the duality of cement and concrete addressing microplastic pollution: a review

Microplastic pollution has emerged as a global environmental concern, with diverse consequences for ecosystems and human health. While the focus has primarily been on the sources and impacts of microplastics, this review paper explores the roles of cement and concrete in potentially mitigating microplastic pollution and addressing their negative impacts with the focus of 165 relevant publications. Cementitious materials, widely used in construction, have unique properties that greatly increase the formation and transport of microplastics in the environment, and affect circular economy practice. This paper gathers all the information we already know about how cement, concrete, and microplastics interact with each other. It also presents the potential opportunities and challenges of using these materials to deal with microplastic pollution, entailing the advancement of porous concrete as a filtering system, exploration of concrete wetting phenomena based on concrete's surface chemistry and characteristics, proper urban water management systems for concrete green spaces, assessment of innovative technologies with concrete for microplastic mitigation, and the formation of standards and guidelines such as precise Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools, environmental product declaration (EPD), policy for urban planning, and green finance paradigms.

Presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in European bison (Bison bonasus) in Poland, 2019-2023

BACKGROUND

The origin of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains unknown. However, it is likely that the virus spillover occurred from an animal reservoir to humans. Identifying animal species susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for understanding cross-species transmission to humans. This study distinguishes itself by focusing on the susceptibility of the European bison (Bison bonasus), an endangered species, to SARS-CoV-2. The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in a substantial number (n = 238) of both free-living and captive Polish European bison using an in-house ELISA method and virus neutralization test (VNT).

RESULTS

The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was found to be 1.29% (3/232). None of the seropositive European bison tested positive in the virus neutralization test. All seropositive animals were part of captive herds.

CONCLUSIONS

This study represents the first report of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in both free-ranging and captive European bison in Poland. Based on these findings, the European bison appears to be a less susceptible species to SARS-CoV-2. The most probable route of transmission was from humans to European bison, as all seropositive animals belonged to captive herds with contact with indirect human sources, such as tourists and keepers.

Chronic impacts of natural infrastructure on the physical and psychological health of university students during and after COVID-19: a case study of Chengdu, China

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the health benefits of green spaces, yet research on how specific elements of natural infrastructure affect well-being during the pandemic has been limited.

Methods

This study, conducted at Sichuan Agricultural University with 300 students in 2022, investigated how urban natural infrastructure impacts physical and psychological well-being during the pandemic. Different aspects of natural infrastructure, such as thermal comfort, air quality (negative ion concentration), and noise and light levels, varied in their positive effects on students' health.

Results

The findings revealed that 65.6% of university students felt reduced stress when engaging with outdoor spaces, and 72.8% of them renewed recognized the therapeutic value of nature.

Discussion

The study emphasizes the importance of incorporating natural elements into urban planning to enhance outdoor activity and well-being, especially in post-pandemic settings. Recommendations are provided for future urban design to address the therapeutic needs of specific populations.

Managing and treating COVID-19 in patients with hematological malignancies: a narrative review and expert insights

Patients with hematologic malignancies (HMs) are at a significantly higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and experiencing severe outcomes compared to individuals without HMs. This heightened risk is influenced by various factors, including the underlying malignancy, immunosuppressive treatments, and patient-related factors. Notably, immunosuppressive regimens commonly used for HM treatment can lead to the depletion of B cells and T cells, which is associated with increased COVID-19-related complications and mortality in these patients. As the pandemic transitions into an endemic state, it remains crucial to acknowledge and address the ongoing risk for individuals with HMs. In this review, we aim to summarize the current evidence to enhance our understanding of the impact of HMs on COVID-19 risks and outcomes, identify particularly vulnerable individuals, and emphasize the need for specialized clinical attention and management. Furthermore, the impaired immune response to COVID-19 vaccination observed in these patients underscores the importance of implementing additional mitigation strategies. This may include targeted prophylaxis and treatment with antivirals and monoclonal antibodies as indicated. To provide practical guidance and considerations, we present two illustrative cases to highlight the real-life challenges faced by physicians caring for patients with HMs, emphasizing the need for individualized management based on disease severity, type, and the unique circumstances of each patient.

COVID-19 epidemiology and rural healthcare: a survey in a Spanish village

We used primary care data to retrospectively describe the entry, spread, and impact of COVID-19 in a remote rural community and the associated risk factors and challenges faced by the healthcare team. Generalized linear models were fitted to assess the relationship between age, sex, period, risk group status, symptom duration, post-COVID illness, and disease severity. Social network and cluster analyses were also used. The first six cases, including travel events and a social event in town, contributed to early infection spread. About 351 positive cases were recorded and 6% of patients experienced two COVID-19 episodes in the 2.5-year study period. Five space-time case clusters were identified. One case, linked with the social event, was particularly central in its contact network. The duration of disease symptoms was driven by gender, age, and risk factors. The probability of suffering severe disease increased with symptom duration and decreased over time. About 27% and 23% of individuals presented with residual symptoms and post-COVID illness, respectively. The probability of developing a post-COVID illness increased with age and the duration of COVID-associated symptoms. Carefully registered primary care data may help optimize infection prevention and control efforts and upscale local healthcare capacities in vulnerable rural communities.

Linkage between Airborne Particulate Matter and Viral Pandemic COVID-19 in Bucharest

The long-distance spreading and transport of airborne particulate matter (PM) of biogenic or chemical compounds, which are thought to be possible carriers of SARS-CoV-2 virions, can have a negative impact on the incidence and severity of COVID-19 viral disease. Considering the total Aerosol Optical Depth at 550 nm (AOD) as an atmospheric aerosol loading variable, inhalable fine PM with a diameter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5) or coarse PM with a diameter ≤10 µm (PM10) during 26 February 2020-31 March 2022, and COVID-19's five waves in Romania, the current study investigates the impact of outdoor PM on the COVID-19 pandemic in Bucharest city. Through descriptive statistics analysis applied to average daily time series in situ and satellite data of PM2.5, PM10, and climate parameters, this study found decreased trends of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations of 24.58% and 18.9%, respectively compared to the pre-pandemic period (2015-2019). Exposure to high levels of PM2.5 and PM10 particles was positively correlated with COVID-19 incidence and mortality. The derived average PM2.5/PM10 ratios during the entire pandemic period are relatively low (<0.44), indicating a dominance of coarse traffic-related particles' fraction. Significant reductions of the averaged AOD levels over Bucharest were recorded during the first and third waves of COVID-19 pandemic and their associated lockdowns (~28.2% and ~16.4%, respectively) compared to pre-pandemic period (2015-2019) average AOD levels. The findings of this research are important for decision-makers implementing COVID-19 safety controls and health measures during viral infections.

Exploration of spatiotemporal heterogeneity and socio-demographic determinants on COVID-19 incidence rates in Sarawak, Malaysia

BACKGROUND

In Sarawak, 252 300 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases have been recorded with 1 619 fatalities in 2021, compared to only 1 117 cases in 2020. Since Sarawak is geographically separated from Peninsular Malaysia and half of its population resides in rural districts where medical resources are limited, the analysis of spatiotemporal heterogeneity of disease incidence rates and their relationship with socio-demographic factors are crucial in understanding the spread of the disease in Sarawak.

METHODS

The spatial dependence of district-wise incidence rates is investigated using spatial autocorrelation analysis with two orders of contiguity weights for various pandemic waves. Nine determinants are chosen from 14 covariates of socio-demographic factors via elastic net regression and recursive partitioning. The relationships between incidence rates and socio-demographic factors are examined using ordinary least squares, spatial lag and spatial error models, and geographically weighted regression.

RESULTS

In the first 8 months of 2021, COVID-19 severely affected Sarawak's central region, which was followed by the southern region in the next 2 months. In the third wave, based on second-order spatial weights, the incidence rate in a district is most strongly influenced by its neighboring districts' rate, although the variance of incidence rates is best explained by local regression coefficient estimates of socio-demographic factors in the first wave. It is discovered that the percentage of households with garbage collection facilities, population density and the proportion of male in the population are positively associated with the increase in COVID-19 incidence rates.

CONCLUSION

This research provides useful insights for the State Government and public health authorities to critically incorporate socio-demographic characteristics of local communities into evidence-based decision-making for altering disease monitoring and response plans. Policymakers can make well-informed judgments and implement targeted interventions by having an in-depth understanding of the spatial patterns and relationships between COVID-19 incidence rates and socio-demographic characteristics. This will effectively help in mitigating the spread of the disease.

Peculiar weather patterns effects on air pollution and COVID-19 spread in Tokyo metropolis

As a pandemic hotspot in Japan, between March 1, 2020-October 1, 2022, Tokyo metropolis experienced seven COVID-19 waves. Motivated by the high rate of COVID-19 incidence and mortality during the seventh wave, and environmental/health challenges we conducted a time-series analysis to investigate the long-term interaction of air quality and climate variability with viral pandemic in Tokyo. Through daily time series geospatial and observational air pollution/climate data, and COVID-19 incidence and death cases, this study compared the environmental conditions during COVID-19 multiwaves. In spite of five State of Emergency (SOEs) restrictions associated with COVID-19 pandemic, during (2020-2022) period air quality recorded low improvements relative to (2015-2019) average annual values, namely: Aerosol Optical Depth increased by 9.13% in 2020 year, and declined by 6.64% in 2021, and 12.03% in 2022; particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10 decreased during 2020, 2021, and 2022 years by 10.22%, 62.26%, 0.39%, and respectively by 4.42%, 3.95%, 5.76%. For (2021-2022) period the average ratio of PM2.5/PM10 was (0.319 ± 0.1640), showing a higher contribution to aerosol loading of traffic-related coarse particles in comparison with fine particles. The highest rates of the daily recorded COVID-19 incidence and death cases in Tokyo during the seventh COVID-19 wave (1 July 2022-1 October 2022) may be attributed to accumulation near the ground of high levels of air pollutants and viral pathogens due to: 1) peculiar persistent atmospheric anticyclonic circulation with strong positive anomalies of geopotential height at 500 hPa; 2) lower levels of Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) heights; 3) high daily maximum air temperature and land surface temperature due to the prolonged heat waves (HWs) in summer 2022; 4) no imposed restrictions. Such findings can guide public decision-makers to design proper strategies to curb pandemics under persistent stable anticyclonic weather conditions and summer HWs in large metropolitan areas.

Spatial Autocorrelation of COVID-19 in Slovakia

The pandemic situation of COVID-19, which affected almost the entire civilized world with its consequences, offered a unique opportunity for analysis of geographical space. In a relatively short period of time, the COVID-19 pandemic became a truly global event with consequences affecting all areas of life. Circumstances with COVID-19, which affected the territory of Slovakia and its regions, represent a sufficient premise for analysis three years after the registration of the first case in Slovakia. The study presents the results of a detailed spatiotemporal analysis of the course of registered cases of COVID-19 in six periods in Slovakia. The aim of the paper was to analyze the development of the number of people infected with the disease COVID-19 in Slovakia. At the level of the districts of Slovakia, using spatial autocorrelation, we identified spatial differences in the disease of COVID-19. Moran's global autocorrelation index and Moran's local index were used in the synthesis of knowledge. Spatial analysis of data on the number of infected in the form of spatial autocorrelation analysis was used as a practical sustainable approach to localizing statistically significant areas with high and low positivity. This manifested itself in the monitored area mainly in the form of positive spatial autocorrelation. The selection of data and methods used in this study together with the achieved and presented results can serve as a suitable tool to support decisions in further measures for the future.