New Delhi
Residents of the Indian capital are enduring one of the worst spells of air pollution in years, data released on Monday showed. This raised the risks to city residents posed by the novel Coronavirus, doctors said.
Pollution in New Delhi had almost disappeared earlier this year, when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to stop the Coronavirus. But the curbs have been lifted and the pollution, and the virus, are back with a vengeance.
Delhi’s overall air quality index (AQI), which includes the concentration of PM2.5 particles as well as bigger pollutants, has stayed above 400, on a scale of 500, for five consecutive days, government data showed.
The tiny PM2.5 particles can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases including lung cancer, and pose a particular risk for people with Covid 19.
R.V. Asokan, the honorary secretary-general of the Indian Medical Association that represents 350,000 doctors, told Reuters the air pollution made people more susceptible to coronavirus infection.
“The PM2.5 particles break the nasal passage barrier, weaken the inner lining of lungs, facilitating the spread of the coronavirus infection,” Asokan said.—Agencies
