Abstract
Our purpose was to determine the relationship between short and long-term exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 mortality and morbidity using a systematic reviews and meta-analysis. We searched Scopus, PubMed and Web of Sciences up to 1 February 2023, for original in any language. Observational studies that have reported risk estimates for the association between short and long-term exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 mortality and morbidity were considered. The methodological quality of the included articles was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Pooled estimates were calculated using the random effect model. We used I2 statistic and chi-square test to investigate the existence of heterogeneity between studies. To evaluate the possibility of publication bias, Egger's test and Begg's test were used. A total of 2,823 articles were identified in the initial search of databases until 1 February 2023. Finally, 12 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The result of the meta-analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between PM10 and O3 and mortality of COVID-19, with a relative risk of 1.02 and a confidence interval (1.01 to 1.04) and a relative risk of 1.09 and a confidence interval (1.04 to 1.14) Respectively. Our meta-analysis suggests that exposure to O3 and PM10 is associated with an increased risk of mortality of COVID-19. These findings highlight the importance of reducing air pollution levels to protect public health, particularly in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.