The B.C. Health Ministry said the recent sharp increases in COVID-19 cases in the region have more to do with the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant and remaining pockets of unvaccinated people than with exposure to wildfire smoke. But a recent study from Harvard has raised the possibility that there could be a link. The Harvard study found strong evidence that particulate matter called PM2.5 coming from wildfire smoke led to a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths in 2020 in California, Washington and Oregon. Dr. Michael Mehta, an environmental scientist and professor at TRU, said the similarity in symptoms from COVID-19 infection and wildfire exposure could also make it more difficult to identify outbreaks in areas exposed to wildfires. Read more