Does SARS-CoV-2 slow down during Summer?
The National Academy of Sciences‘ Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats has weighed in on the question: Does the spread of the Coronavirus slow down in warmer conditions?
NAS claims studies have shown reduced transmission of the virus under warmer and humid conditions in the lab. One study found the virus does survive longer than other known pathogens like flu, monkeypox, tuberculosis or the 2002 SARS but still less than in colder conditions.
Out of the lab, the virus still spreads in countries with warmer weather but the countries with the biggest outbreaks all occurred during the northern Winter and early Spring and have subsided as the temperatures climbed.
More people are outside in the Summer which may help social distancing.
The unknown factor is the limited research into the two strains of SARS-CoV-2. One strain appears to have been more dominant in Europe and the East Coast of the USA and the other in Asia.
Here’s the National Academy of Sciences report on the Coronavirus survival in Summer.
Google has published a fully interactive map which allows local newsrooms (and anyone else frankly) access to a real-time visualization of COVID-19’s contagion in their local districts or anywhere in the U.S.