The spread of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic around the globe is affecting people. The majority of Indian urban complexes are reeling under high emissions of deadly fine particulate matter PM_2.5 and resulting in poor air quality. These fine particles penetrate deep into the body and fuel inflammation in the lungs and respiratory tract, leading to the risk of having cardiovascular and respiratory problems, including a weak immune system. In the present study, we report the first national-scale study over India, which establishes a strong relationship between the PM_2.5 emission load and COVID-19 infections and resulting deaths. We find a significant correlation (R² = 0.66 & 0.60) between the states as well as districts having varied levels of PM_2.5 emissions with corresponding COVID-19 positive cases respectively, and R² = 0.61 between wavering air quality on a longer time scale and the number of COVID-19 related deaths till 5 November 2020. This study provides practical evidence that cities having pollution hotspot where fossil fuel emissions are dominating are highly susceptible to COVID-19 cases.

2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 的全球大流行正在影响人们。大多数印度城市综合体都因致命的细颗粒物 PM _2.5的高排放而摇摇欲坠，导致空气质量不佳。这些细小颗粒深入人体并加剧肺部和呼吸道炎症，导致心血管和呼吸系统疾病风险，包括免疫系统薄弱。在本研究中，我们报告了第一项针对印度的全国性研究，该研究在 PM _2.5排放负荷与 COVID-19 感染和由此导致的死亡之间建立了密切关系。我们发现显着相关性 (R ² = 0.66 和 0.60) 在具有不同 PM _2.5排放水平的州和地区之间分别与相应的 COVID-19 阳性病例，并且 R ²  = 0.61 在较长时间尺度上摇摆不定的空气质量与 COVID-19 相关的数量之间死亡人数截至 2020 年 11 月 5 日。这项研究提供了实际证据，证明存在化石燃料排放占主导地位的污染热点的城市极易感染 COVID-19 病例。