Proximity to natural green spaces such as forests were found to significantly decrease SARS-CoV-2 infections, according to a study published this month in medRxiv.
The year-long pre-print study, which was conducted in over 3,000 counties in the United States, found that people who live near green spaces are less likely to contract SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes the COVID-19 disease.
The study also found urban areas are much more efficient than green spaces in exposing humans to COVID-19. This could be due to less air circulation and open spaces in urban areas relative to the open green spaces.
COVID-19 infection rates are the lowest in forests and remained the lowest throughout the entire period of study.This is in contrast to other green spaces, where the infection rates fluctuated during the different time periods of the pandemic throughout the year.