London: COVID-19 may be a seasonal infection linked to low temperatures and humidity, much like seasonal influenza, according to new "robust" evidence found by researchers.
The study, recently published in the journal Nature Computational Science, also supports the considerable contribution of airborne SARS-CoV-2 transmission and the need to shift to measures that promote "air hygiene."
A research team led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Spain, noted that a key question regarding SARS-CoV-2 is whether it is behaving, or will behave, as a seasonal virus like influenza, or whether it will be equally transmitted during any time of the year.
A first theoretical modelling study suggested that climate was not a driver in COVID-19 transmission, given the high number of susceptible individuals with no immunity to the virus.
However, some observations suggested that the initial propagation of COVID-19 in China occurred in a latitude between 30 and 50 degrees N, with low humidity levels and low temperatures between 5 degrees and 11 degrees Celsius.
"The question of whether COVID-19 is a genuine seasonal disease becomes increasingly central, with implications for determining effective intervention measures," said Xavier Rodo, director of the Climate and Health programme at ISGlobal and coordinator of the study.
The researchers first analysed the association of temperature and humidity in the initial phase of SARS-CoV-2 spread in 162 countries across five continents, before changes in human behaviour and public health policies were put into place.