The file comprises COVID-19 case counts, population, demographic and air pollution data by Toronto neighbourhood. The data were employed in an ecological study of the association between air pollution and incidence of COVID-19. Data were obtained from the Toronto Open Data portal, McGill University, the University of Toronto, the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE) and Statistics Canada.
The study found that there was a positive association between COVID-19 incidence and long-term exposure to reactive oxygen species in fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The association was larger in magnitude in neighbourhoods with a higher proportion of Black residents.
The results require further examination using studies based on individual-level rather than area-level data. Supporting documentation: https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202011-4142OC