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Peer J. 2022 Jan 6;10:e12732. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12732. eCollection 2022.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected millions of people around the world. The infection spreads mainly by inhaling infected droplets. Saudi Arabia is a vast country with different climatic conditions.
METHODS: The study assessed the influence of environmental factors on the spread of COVID-19. Six zones (A to F) have been classified according to climatic conditions. The study was conducted by retrospective analysis of COVID-19 records from the Ministry of Health between the months of September 2020 and August 2021. Environmental data such as average temperature (°C), humidity (%), wind speed (m/s ) and sun exposure (kwh/m2) were retrieved from official sites. The data was analyzed to determine the effect of these factors on the spread of COVID-19. SPSS IBM 25 software was used to perform the analysis and p
RESULTS: According to the results, the infection rate was highest between April and July 2021. Six climate zones experienced high temperatures, low humidity, constant wind flow and intense sun exposure throughout this period. The correlation study revealed a significant (p
PMID:35036101 | PMC:PMC8743009 | DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12732