An international collaboration of researchers from Europe and China have found that temperature and humidity in the environment have an effect on the severity of COVID-19 symptoms.
An international collaboration of researchers from Europe and China have found that temperature and humidity in the environment have an effect on the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Comparing outcomes from more than 40,000 COVID-19 patients over the course of the pandemic suggests that the disease is more severe in colder months than warmer ones, and that dry indoor air may encourage the spread of the disease.
Many viruses show seasonal incidence and are more common during the colder winter months, but it is not yet known whether SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, follows a similar pattern. Previous studies have shown that viral transmission appears to decrease as temperature and humidity rise, suggesting a seasonal pattern, but the results are inconsistent.
In this pre-print study, researchers analysed data from nearly 7,000 patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 in Croatia, Spain, Italy, Finland, Poland, Germany, the UK and China.
Mapping this information against local temperature and estimated indoor humidity revealed that severe COVID-19 outcomes (hospitalisation, admittance to ICU or need for ventilation) decreased in most European countries over the course of the pandemic, covering the transition from winter to early summer.
Read more at King's College London
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