As if hay fever wasn't bad enough, pollen may make us more likely to catch COVID-19

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-03-09 11:10

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High concentrations of airborne pollen may be making people more susceptible to COVID-19, according to international scientists. They analysed data on airborne pollen and COVID-19 infection rates from 130 regions in 31 countries across five continents, and found that airborne pollen explained about 44 per cent of the variation in infection rates. Daily infection rates were correlated with pollen counts in countries with and without lockdowns, they say, although countries in lockdown had daily infection rates that were half of those in non-locked-down countries with similar pollen concentrations. Recent research suggests that pollen exposure may make us more susceptible to respiratory viruses, even among people who don't have pollen allergies, they say. The authors recommend the use of particle filtering masks by high-risk individuals during springtime periods of high pollen concentrations.