SALT LAKE CITY — Growing up in Utah, Andrew Stott never thought twice about his health during winter inversions — until he got COVID in 2020.
“I think there's probably a lot of people out there right now in Utah who are dealing with it and not sure why they're having problems, and a lot of them might have lasting effects from COVID and not realize," he said.
“Breathing is such an easy thing to take for granted. It's what we do without thinking, and now I very much do not take it for granted.”
AIR QUALITY MAP: Take a real-time look at current air quality conditions in Utah
More Utahns are struggling on bad air days, according to Dr. Denitza Blagev, a pulmonary and critical care physician for Intermountain Health.
“There's more people that have an underlying issue — so long-COVID or something else — that then can get flared up and predispose them," she said.
The good news is overall, our air quality has improved over the last decade or so, Blagev said.
“While we have really terrible air on bad days, our average air quality is pretty good, and so our cumulative air pollution exposure is actually not as bad as you might think," she said.
She adds that Utahns might be worried about our emissions or spending time outside with the holidays coming up.
“I think for most people, the overall health that's brought by these rituals of being a part of a community and seeing your family is probably worth it," Blagev said.
Blagev recommends wearing an N-95 mask for most Utahns who are spending an extended period of time outside. But for those who do have asthma, long-COVID or some kind of breathing problem, the mask can actually make it harder to breathe, and it’s best to just spend as much time indoors as you can.
