Winter inversion could make the COVID-19 pandemic worse
As Utah prepares for winter in the coming months, the ongoing threat and prevalence
of COVID-19, a respiratory disease, will only bolster the health hazards posed by
the anticipated inversion. Moreover, such exacerbation will likely disproportionately
affect Salt Lake Valley’s underserved, less affluent and minority communities, who
are likely more susceptible to respiratory illness due, in part, to geographical location
and heightened exposure to ambient air pollution. There are meaningful connections
to be made between the respiratory hazards of winter inversion in the Salt Lake area
and the complex respiratory components of COVID-19.