<strong>Background: </strong>Since the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic, several studies have been carried out to investigate its spread, with a wide range of factors to understand the influence o...<strong>Background: </strong>Since the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic, several studies have been carried out to investigate its spread, with a wide range of factors to understand the influence of the factors that contribute to its spread and to reduce the ongoing threat of COVID-19 pandemic. <strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, the relationships between the Earth’s electric field and cosmic ray charged particles of different energy ranges and the daily confirmed COVID-19 infections in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia have been investigated using non-parametric statistical tests. The data covered the period between 3 April 2020 and 1<sup>st </sup>August 2021 and were obtained from the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) CARPET detector, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The electric fields data were obtained from electric field monitor (EFM) deployed on the rooftop of the KACST laboratory. The data of the daily COVID-19 cases were obtained from the official webpage of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH). <strong>Results: </strong>The results revealed that that the number of COVID-19 cases is correlated with cosmic ray charged particles and anti-correlated with the Earth’s electric field. <strong>Conclusion: </strong>While the exact mechanism explaining the influence of Earth’s electric field and cosmic rays variations on the reported number of COVID-19 cases is not yet established, the results presented in this study can add additional knowledge to our understanding of the effects of additional factors on influenza activities.展开更多
This study aims to investigate the influential role of space weather parameters on the transmission of COVID-19. Solar radio flux, interplanetary magnetic field, Dst index, sunspot number, and solar wind speed were ut...This study aims to investigate the influential role of space weather parameters on the transmission of COVID-19. Solar radio flux, interplanetary magnetic field, Dst index, sunspot number, and solar wind speed were utilized to represent the space weather variables. The association of the considered variables to the number of the confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide along with five geographical categories, i.e. Asia, Europe, Africa, South, and North America, were investigated for a period ranging from 20 January 2020 to 5 August 2021 using Pearson linear tests as well as the non-parametric Spearman’s and Kendall’s rank correlation tests. Pearson linear tests showed that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide and the chosen geographical categories have a significant correlation to interplanetary magnetic strength, solar radio flux F10.7, and sunspot number. When the confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the Asia continent were excluded, the solar wind speed correlated significantly with the number of COVID-19 cases reported elsewhere in the world and the other geographical categories. The non-parametric Kendall and Pearson tests showed that the world’s COVID-19 cases and the other geographical categories had significant correlations with the interplanetary magnetic field, radio flux F10.7, sunspot number, and the solar wind speed, but not with the Dst index.展开更多
文摘<strong>Background: </strong>Since the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic, several studies have been carried out to investigate its spread, with a wide range of factors to understand the influence of the factors that contribute to its spread and to reduce the ongoing threat of COVID-19 pandemic. <strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, the relationships between the Earth’s electric field and cosmic ray charged particles of different energy ranges and the daily confirmed COVID-19 infections in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia have been investigated using non-parametric statistical tests. The data covered the period between 3 April 2020 and 1<sup>st </sup>August 2021 and were obtained from the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) CARPET detector, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The electric fields data were obtained from electric field monitor (EFM) deployed on the rooftop of the KACST laboratory. The data of the daily COVID-19 cases were obtained from the official webpage of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH). <strong>Results: </strong>The results revealed that that the number of COVID-19 cases is correlated with cosmic ray charged particles and anti-correlated with the Earth’s electric field. <strong>Conclusion: </strong>While the exact mechanism explaining the influence of Earth’s electric field and cosmic rays variations on the reported number of COVID-19 cases is not yet established, the results presented in this study can add additional knowledge to our understanding of the effects of additional factors on influenza activities.
文摘This study aims to investigate the influential role of space weather parameters on the transmission of COVID-19. Solar radio flux, interplanetary magnetic field, Dst index, sunspot number, and solar wind speed were utilized to represent the space weather variables. The association of the considered variables to the number of the confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide along with five geographical categories, i.e. Asia, Europe, Africa, South, and North America, were investigated for a period ranging from 20 January 2020 to 5 August 2021 using Pearson linear tests as well as the non-parametric Spearman’s and Kendall’s rank correlation tests. Pearson linear tests showed that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide and the chosen geographical categories have a significant correlation to interplanetary magnetic strength, solar radio flux F10.7, and sunspot number. When the confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the Asia continent were excluded, the solar wind speed correlated significantly with the number of COVID-19 cases reported elsewhere in the world and the other geographical categories. The non-parametric Kendall and Pearson tests showed that the world’s COVID-19 cases and the other geographical categories had significant correlations with the interplanetary magnetic field, radio flux F10.7, sunspot number, and the solar wind speed, but not with the Dst index.
