Does Living At Higher Altitudes Reduce COVID-19 Infection Risk? Research Finds

While it is believed that low temperature is a risk factor of coronavirus, this new study has a different take to it. We are all living under constant fear of catching this deadly virus whose Sureshot treatment is still underway. The vaccination is being tested and no one knows how long it is going to take for it to be ready. Till then, all we can do is take all the precautionary measures to prevent contracting with Coronavirus and keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. Until now, it was believed that this virus gets perilous in cold temperatures but this might not be true. Let us see what researchers have found out.

A higher altitude is assumed to be causing higher adversity resistance to novel coronavirus but this study shows that those living at high altitudes are safer than those living in warm areas. The risk of catching Coronavirus might be inversely proportional to the altitude and residents of high-altitude places are comparatively safe.

What is this study?

The researchers examined the epidemiological data from different countries at different altitudes to establish risk factors and percentages. The findings are mentioned in the study published in the science journal ‘Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology’. According to this report, altitudes of 3,000 meters above sea level or 9,842 feet above sea level have significantly less COVID-19 cases as compared to lowland areas.

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Upon comparing the situation in Ecuador, Bolivia and Tibet, the research team found that Tibet’s COVID-9 infection rate was drastically lower than China, Bolivia and Ecuadoran. Also, Cusco in Peru, which is the highest-altitude city in Peru has a significantly lesser amount of cases compared to other cities of the nation. Out of 141,000 cases recorded in Peru, Cusco has only 916! This testifies that altitude does matter.

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The Reason Behind This

As per the medical hypothesis, scientists believe that one possible for high-altitude residents to not get easily attacked by COVID-19 could be their ability to deal with hypoxia which is a condition caused when oxygen is low in the body. Also, a natural and unpolluted environment could be hostile to novel coronavirus. They are also speculating that low barometric pressure causes the virus to not survive in the air for long and die. On the other hand, researchers also clarify that there is no genetic advantage that these people may get.

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