Limiting the Spread of COVID-19 Based on Monitoring of PM

Abstract

In Palestine, the maps of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic issued by the Ministry of Health (MoH), which shows the number of deaths and tested positive cases, have not been able to stop the spread of the disease. Thus; an early warning and decision support system is needed to predict where the infection could happen. In this study, spatial analysis of the number of tested positive cases of COVID-19 indicated that the areas with high levels of Particulate Matter (PM) in the atmosphere were the most affected. PM is closely associated with respiratory diseases and also acts as a carrier of viruses in the air. Accordingly; an affordable mobile system for estimating the levels of PM is designed to warn the user in order to take necessary preventive measures such as wearing a mask or leaving the site. The system consists of a PM sensor, a microcontroller, a power supply, a Bluetooth system, and a mobile application. The findings of this study show that the designed system has a prompt real-time response and a stable operation capable for the protection of human health.