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Warmer Weather May Slow, Not Stop, COVID-19

Steve Baragona

   Since the COVID-19 pandemic first erupted in China this winter, hopes
   have lingered that the outbreak would die down with the change of
   seasons.

   "A lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat," U.S.
   [1]President Donald Trump said at a meeting with governors in February.

   April came and went and the pandemic rages on. But as Northern
   Hemisphere summer approaches, experts are starting to see a small
   impact from rising temperatures and humidity.

   It won't stop the pandemic, they say. But it may help slow down the
   number of new infections. And the effects of weather may help to
   explain why parts of the tropics have not been hit quite as hard as
   temperate regions of the globe.

   COVID season

   COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus, a large family of respiratory
   viruses including some that cause common colds. Since these illnesses
   wax and wane with the seasons, some research has suggested COVID-19
   would, too. But others found lesser or no impacts from weather changes.

   Cold and influenza viruses spread more easily in the winter in part
   because the air is drier. Warmer summertime air naturally holds more
   moisture. Virus particles don't travel as far in the humidity.

References

   1. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-white-house-business-session-nations-governors/

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