Recently, the team led by Wang Jian and Liu Chunli of the laboratory has published two COVID-related studies in the international journal Pulmonary Circulation. One of the two papers was entitled “Visibility, wind speed, and dew point temperature are important factors in SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility”. The first author of the paper is a master graduate Zhou Dansha, and the corresponding author is associate researcher Chen Yuqin and Professor Wang Jian.

Smooth regression chart of meteorological factors and daily new cases of SARS-CoV-2 variants, using geographic variables in the contour line and 3D plot.

The study used the big data of pandemic from China and Italy: 1) to assess the impact of geographical and meteorological factors on the transmission of novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and whether the effects of different SARS-CoV-2 variants vary on disease transmission; 2) to confirm whether the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is affected by geographical and meteorological factors to conduct environmental monitoring on large-scale SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The results show that latitude affects the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant (Alpha VOC), but not affect the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (Delta VOC); secondly, higher temperature, visibility, and wind speed may be conducive for reducing Alpha VOC and Delta VOC transmission. This study found that geographical and meteorological factors play an important role in the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2, providing evidence that meteorological conditions affect the transmission of SARS-COV-2, and providing new ideas for further objectively evaluating the effect of COVID-19 prevention and control.

Original paper：https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9063952/pdf/PUL2-12-e12081.pdf

The other paper was entitled “The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care of pulmonary hypertension patients outside the Hubei province in China”. The first author of the paper is associate researcher Chen Yuqin and the master graduate Zhong Bihua, and the corresponding authors are Professor Liu Chunli and Professor Wang Jian.

The cause why it is difficult for PH patients to get medical attention

The study used questionnaires to assess the impact of the SARS-CoV 2 outbreak between December 2019 and April 2020 on visits and medication for patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in non-Hubei areas. It was found that 63.4% (n = 99) of the patients had difficulty in getting medical attention, mainly due to the fear of the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. 25% (n = 39) of the patients’ drug therapy was affected, with patients living in rural areas had a greater chance to be affected in their drug therapy due to economic reasons. Patients with malnutrition and difficulty in seeking medical treatment were more likely to have a worsened condition. During the outbreak of the pandemic, the hospitalization rate of PH patients was 33.33%. Patients with PH had a higher risk of hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] = 2.844), while patients seeking medical attention during the outbreak had a lower risk of hospitalization (OR = 0.33). In conclusion, during the COVID-19 pandemic, PH patients had difficulty in seeking medical attention, and their medical treatment would be affected and even worsened, which increased the risk of hospitalization. This study suggests that more medical attention and flexible medical insurance policy support are needed for PH patients and patients with chronic diseases who need long-term regular medical treatment and medication during the outbreak. These two researches have been funded by the independent project of the State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, the independent project of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Respiratory Infectious Diseases, and relevant provincial and municipal funds.

Original paper：http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pul2.12130