Foreign Property News | Posted by Zarni Kyaw
Balmy days are coming, with temperatures forecast to reach 20C in some regions. The warm weather will bring welcome respite to lockdown Britain - and put pressure on authorities trying to control crowds and gatherings.
However, scientists also believe warm weather could bring new insights into the virus by showing whether it reacts to the onset of spring. Flu epidemics tend to die out as winter ends; could sunshine, similarly, affect the behaviour of the coronavirus and its spread? It is a key question, and epidemiologists will be watching for changes very closely.
Initial studies of other coronaviruses - the common varieties that cause colds in the UK - do suggest a seasonal pattern, with peaks occurring during winter and disappearing in spring. Intriguingly, these peaks tend to coincide with flu outbreaks. By contrast, only small amounts of coronavirus appear to be transmitted in the summer.
By analysing samples collected several years ago they found high rates of coronavirus infections in February, while in summer they were very low. Other studies have also shown coronaviruses are seasonal in behaviour in temperate climates. The study’s lead author, Rob Aldridge, sounded a note of caution, however. “We could see continued but lower levels of coronavirus transmission in summer but this may reverse in the winter if there is still a large susceptible population at that point,” he said.
This point is backed stressed by other scientists, who warn that the Covid-19 virus is a completely new infectious agent and so there has been no chance for populations to build up any immunity. As a result, it is likely to continue to spread at current rates despite the onset of summer.
Ref: theguardian
