malaria endemicity effect on incidence and mortality rate of covid-19 in some malaria-endemic regions of iran; an ecological study (2020-21)

Background: according to recent reports during the covid-19 pandemic, malaria-endemic regions have a significantly lower covid-19 case and mortality rate than those malaria-non-endemic. this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of covid-19 in malarious areas of southern iran and the incidence of disease in people previously infected with malaria.materials and methods: we conducted an ecological study during the covid-19 epidemic period in a malaria-endemic area, hormozgan province, by including all critically ill patients with covid-19 admitted to hospitals in different counties. the malaria cases were matched in the covid patient's list. also, the cumulative incidence and mortality rate of the covid-19 were calculated in all counties.results: the results show that malaria-endemic regions have a lower cumulative incidence and mortality rate than the others. moreover, it was found that people with a history of malaria were not infected with covid 19.conclusion: it seems that malaria endemicity may positively affect the lower incidence and mortality rate of covid-19 in malaria-endemic regions. however, further studies must be carried out to confirm the hypothesis that malaria reduces the risk of covid-19 in other parts of the world.