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A study concluded that there is no direct link between Covid-19 infections and the use of rail transport in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, considering socioeconomic issues as the most determining factor.
The study, to which the Lusa agency had access, was developed by researchers Milton Severo, Ana Isabel Ribeiro, Raquel Lucas, Teresa Leão and Henrique Barros from the Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto (ISPUP), between March 2 and July 5.
The analysis focused on the parishes crossed by the Azambuja, Sintra, Cascais, Sur (Fertagus), Sado and Oeste railway lines, located in the metropolitan area of Lisbon.
Speaking to the Lusa agency, Professor Milton Severo, one of the authors of the study, explained that the The objective was to understand the relationship between the proximity of railway stations to transmission Covid-19.
It was found that, when comparing these lines, they were not homogeneously associated. In other words, the risk of contagion was not greater in the parishes closest to the stations than in those further away ”, he pointed out.
The researcher said that, for example, the Sintra line presented a greater risk in the parishes crossed by the train, but that on the Sado and Fertagus line the risk was greater in the parishes not crossed.
After all, what is the risk of getting infected on a train? It depends on where you feel
However, as of April, researchers realized that the most determining factor for the risk of contagion It was the socioeconomic conditions.
Although at the beginning of the pandemic this indicator (socioeconomic deprivation) was not associated, with the passage of time this indicator began to be associated and the parishes with greater deprivation have a greater risk of contagion compared to the others ”, he said.
Thus, as main conclusions, the study shows that there is no direct link between rail transport and the risk of infection, as the data has changed over time, and puts socioeconomic conditions as a determining factor.
The Covid-19 pandemic has already claimed at least 961,531 deaths and more than 31.1 million cases of infection in 196 countries and territories, according to a report by the French agency AFP.
In Portugal, 1,920 people died from 69,200 confirmed cases of infection, according to the most recent bulletin from the Directorate General of Health.
The disease is transmitted by a new coronavirus detected in late December in Wuhan, a city in central China.
After Europe succeeded China as the center of the pandemic in February, the Americas are now the one with the most confirmed cases and the most deaths.
