Coronavirus May be Sensitive to Warming Temperatures
Hopefully this gives people cautious optimism that the worst of the coronavirus spread will be over once the temperatures warm:
The virus that causes Covid-19 may have a temperature sweet spot at which it spreads fastest, a new study has suggested, but experts say people should avoid falling into the trap of thinking it will react to seasonal changes in exactly the same way as other pathogens, like those that cause the common cold or influenza.
The study, by a team from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the capital of south China’s Guangdong province, sought to determine how the spread of the new coronavirus might be affected by changes in season and temperature.
Korea Times
Published last month, though yet to be peer-reviewed, the report suggested heat had a significant role to play in how the virus behaves.
“Temperature could significantly change Covid-19 transmission,” it said. “And there might be a best temperature for viral transmission.”
The “virus is highly sensitive to high temperature”, which could prevent it from spreading in warmer countries, while the opposite appeared to be true in colder climes, the study said.
As a result, it suggested that “countries and regions with a lower temperature adopt the strictest control measures”.
You can read more at the link.
So global warming for the win then.
The spread here in the Philippines (where it’s above 75 degrees even at night) is not as bad as I have seen in countries further north. However, as of 6:15 am, Thursday, March 19th, the Philippines now has 202 confirmed cases of the virus and 17 deaths (according to the Philippines’ Department of Health website) out of a population of over 100 million, so you can judge for yourself if the spread is affected by warmer weather.
They’ve been confirming about 1-2 new cases per day for about the last week or so. That’s a pretty low rate overall when you look at China, South Korea, the EU, and the U.S., so maybe the virus does have a “sweet spot.” Time will tell.
“Confirmed cases”… and it is estimated 89% (or maybe more) are asymptomatic and undiagnosed…
The first death in Collin County Texas with any relation to the King Flu was a 64 year old man who had been hospitalized with many other health issues — who was only diagnosed with it after he died. So it had little or no actual impact except to fan the flames of panic.