Low pollution levels have slowed spread of Covid-19: Medical expert

"Air pollution leads to higher incidents of lung diseases. Coronavirus is just an addition in the list of infections which people suffering from chest diseases are prone to"

Decreased pollution levels due to less vehicular movement and industrial activity is one of the factors which has slowed the spread of coronavirus, said Dr Arvind Kumar, Chairperson, Centre for Chest Surgery, Sir Gangaram Hospital.

"In the long run as a direct consequence (of lockdown) decrease of pollution is one of the factors which has slowed down the spread of the virus," said Dr Kumar.

"The deaths occurring from COVID-19 across the globe showed that people with pre-existing diseases have higher mortality. So pollution is causing such ailments and such ailments are contributing to COVID infection," he added.

He said