[Taxacom] possible covariates for corona virus virulence

[Kenneth Kinman]

Hi Timothy,

      It is interesting to note that the severity of cases and the death rate from the new coronavirus are very low among children.   Children would also be exposed to the pollution, so that makes me think that smoking is perhaps more of a factor than pollution (although being a smoker and also exposed to heavy pollution would be a double whammy for adult smokers).
       The same seems to have been true of the SARS coronavirus:  "A notable feature of the 2003 global SARS outbreak was the relative paucity of cases reported among children."   Anyway, I am still trying to find out if there are any numbers available on smokers vs. non-smokers among those who died from the various coronavirus outbreaks.
                          --------------Ken Kinman

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17195709

________________________________
From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu> on behalf of Timothy Dickinson via Taxacom <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 3, 2020 12:14 PM
To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
Subject: [Taxacom] possible covariates for corona virus virulence

I have been struck by mention in BBC articles that the first Chinese
corona virus victim in Wuhan was a heavy smoker, among other things.
more recently
(https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/opinion/letters/wuhan-coronavirus.html),
a letter in response to a NYT article reads, in part, "Thus far, it
appears that the virus produces a severe infection primarily in those
with weakened lungs and immune systems, such as the elderly, diabetics
and smokers. One important consideration is that the citizens of Wuhan
are exposed to unusually high levels of PM 2.5, typically 20 times the
current 'acceptable' limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The virus is likely to be less lethal in less polluted areas of the
world... Peter Muennig, New York
The writer is a professor of health policy and management at Mailman
School of Public Health, Columbia University."

Anecdotally, it's been my impression that rates of tobacco smoking are
high in China, as is air pollution. These factors might be as important,
or more so, than ethnicity.

---tad.


<++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
<Tim Dickinson
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