Temperature and humidity could affect pandemic

Baltimore. At least until about mid-March, has spread Corona according to an analysis such as a seasonal infectious disease similar to the flu. The Infection was therefore particularly strong in regions with similar temperature range and humidity, such as researchers Mohammad Sajadi University of Maryland in Baltimore, in the journal “JAMA Network Open” reports. They had analyzed data from 8 cities with high and 42 low infection numbers.

Possible influence factors for Coronavirus: climate and travel behavior

Sajadi and colleagues began their investigation, as the numbers of cases in February in Iran rapidly increased. You have selected a number of cities from countries on the 10. Recorded in March at least ten deaths in connection with Covid-19 Wuhan (China), Tokyo (Japan), Daegu (South Korea), Qom (Iran), Milan (Italy), Paris (France), Madrid (Spain), Seattle (USA) had:. The cities are all between the ages of 30. and 50. Degree of North latitude; from 20 to 30 days prior to the first corona of the dead they had average temperatures of five to eleven degrees and a specific humidity of three to six grams per kilogram of air.

“Due to the geographical proximity and the considerable connections in the epidemiological modeling of the epicenter showed that regions in Southeast Asia, particularly Bangkok, Wuhan would be to follow the epidemic,” the scientists write. In fact, however, the number of cases remained in the following days in these regions is low, the epicenter has shifted to other countries in Asia, Europe and North America. In the 42 comparison of cities with low infection, the climatic conditions were done mostly by those in the heavily affected cities.

Seasonal effect in the distribution is not excluded

“The distribution of the significant urban outbreaks along a limited Width, temperature degrees and humidity measurements agreed with the behavior of a seasonal respiratory virus,” writes the Team of Sajadi. As a limitation, the researchers note that the data reported for the number of cases and the death rate between countries can vary significantly. In addition, other possible propagation were not taken into account factors such as health care, travel behavior, population density, air pollution, and demographic characteristics.

Despite the global spread of Sars-Cov-2 Stephanie Pfänder of the Ruhr-University of Bochum does not exclude a seasonal effect in the spread. It is assumed that in the case of the spread of infectious diseases, in principle, several factors play a role. She herself has proven with other researchers, recently, that in the case of the Transmission surfaces, the ambient temperature affects how long the Virus remains contagious. In the case of the humidity the first analysis indicated that in the cold Season, perhaps with air, the contagion humidifiers risk in areas of reduce could.

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