Do You Think Summers Will Kill COVID 19 Virus?

It has been observed that previous viruses causing influenza or cold are likely to perish in hotter conditions but scientists have referred to these viruses as seasonality.

Ahmedabad: Workers fumigate near a residential complex during a nationwide lockdown to limit the spreading of coronavirus, in Ahmedabad, Sunday, March 29, 2020. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: India has started witnessing the change in season and a rise in temperature seems to be quelling the concerns of coronavirus pandemic from spreading. However, if you believe the experts then there is no connection between the temperature and COVID 19 spread. There are already 1,037 cases as on Sunday and 25 people have already succumbed to the deadly virus. It is hard to ignore any such evidence which gives a hint of the killer virus dying. Typically Flu starts to affect people with the onset of colder months or change in seasonal variations. It has been observed that viruses causing influenza or cold are likely to perish in hotter conditions but scientists have referred to these viruses as seasonality.

How does coronavirus behave in weather conditions? Although it has been observed that older flu viruses typically grow and thrive in cold and dry conditions don’t do well in warm temperatures. The scientific community has observed that coronavirus doesn’t like sunlight, temperature, and humidity. However, it’s not certain that this particular SARS-CoV-2 will behave the same way. The studies are still in its early stages to predict the behaviour of the virus of COVID 19. One of the recent studies by the University of Maryland has found that the spread of the virus in most cities and areas around the world where average temperatures have been 5-11 C and the relative humidity is lower. However, there are a sizeable number of cases in tropical areas, as well. Will the epidemic stop with summers? If you go by the researchers at Harvard Medical School then the coronavirus will have no effect with variation in weather as many expected. They analysed that the rise in the cases in cold and dry provinces of China, for example, Jilin and Heilongjiang, compared to the rate of spread in tropical locations like Guangxi and Singapore, has shown that the rise in temperature and humidity in the spring and summer will not have any impact on the spread of the disease. What does WHO say? Another noted organisation, The World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines also mentioned that coronavirus has spread to "countries with both hot and humid climates, as well as cold and dry". Hence, it is crucial for us to follow the advisories and take precautions to keep ourselves away from this deadly virus.