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Judi Lynn

(160,218 posts)
Mon May 18, 2020, 09:32 PM May 2020

Study shows fewer COVID-19 cases in high-altitude regions



Regional REGIONAL | 22h ago

Libby Stanford
Summit Daily News

People who grew up at high elevations might be less susceptible to the novel coronavirus, according to a recent study of the virus’ impact in high-altitude communities like Summit County.

The study, which was published by the “Respiratory Physiology and Neurobiology” journal, compared case data for the virus among communities in Bolivia, Tibet and Ecuador and found that cities and towns in higher elevations have reported fewer COVID-19 cases.

According to Bolivia’s Ministry of Health website, La Paz, Bolivia, has reported 328 cases of the virus and Santa Cruz, Bolivia, has reported 2,300 cases as of Friday. La Paz sits 11,943 feet above sea level with a population of 2.7 million people. Santa Cruz is 1,365 feet above sea level with a population of 1.6 million people. For some context, Breckenridge is 9,600 feet above sea level.

“This is data that strongly suggests that high altitude is protective,” said Dr. Gustavo Zubieta-Calleja, director of the High Altitude Pulmonary and Pathology Institute in La Paz and one of the researchers on the study.

More:
https://www.aspentimes.com/news/regional/study-shows-fewer-covid-19-cases-in-high-altitude-regions/

Also posted in Science:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/122869506
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Study shows fewer COVID-19 cases in high-altitude regions (Original Post) Judi Lynn May 2020 OP
UV? Loki Liesmith May 2020 #1
Well, I am basically sea level. That leaves me out of that one. LizBeth May 2020 #2
Since I live at over 6,200 ft., I find that a bit encouraging. niyad May 2020 #3
At 7300' here. alittlelark May 2020 #4
Yikes, and I'm 466 feet above sea level! Oh nooooooo!! Funny thing, living at such a high... SWBTATTReg May 2020 #5
Goes along with reporting that snpsmom May 2020 #6
Aha! Excellent news PoindexterOglethorpe May 2020 #7
Perhaps it's just that those people have greater OregonBlue May 2020 #8

SWBTATTReg

(21,859 posts)
5. Yikes, and I'm 466 feet above sea level! Oh nooooooo!! Funny thing, living at such a high...
Mon May 18, 2020, 10:14 PM
May 2020

altitude will have negative impacts on those w/ breathing problems anyways, so I don't know if the trade offs is better or not...I guess it's a either this or that situation. Go one way, and catch the CV, get ill and/or die, and go the other way, and not be able to breath, and die of oxygen deprivation. Hmmmm...

What they don't say is that those that live at those altitudes do have enlarged lung capacity to handle the thinner air (on a PBS show, don't recall when/where/etc. when aired), so perhaps an overdeveloped lung capacity helps them in fighting off the CV (besides the CV, and thinner air)?

PoindexterOglethorpe

(25,750 posts)
7. Aha! Excellent news
Mon May 18, 2020, 10:49 PM
May 2020

says the woman who lives at 7,000 feet.

Maybe that's part of the reason we have relatively few cases here in New Mexico. But I do want to point out that the Navajo Nation has been disproportionately affected here, which probably has a lot to do with the poverty, lack of running water, small and crowded homes.

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