With the arrival of summer and rising temperatures, hopes about a possible disappearance of COVID-19 with the heat have risen, but…. Will the coronavirus really disappear with the arrival of heat and high temperatures?
Coronavirus or COVID-19 is transmitted through tiny droplets that are emitted when sneezing, talking or coughing. These droplets can adhere to various surfaces and remain on them for several hours. Thus, for example, if the virus is on a railing or a doorknob, by touching it and then bringing our hands to the oral cavity, we could become infected. Airborne transmissions have also been documented, by breathing in these droplets or coming into contact with the eyes.
When the pandemic began to spread severely in Spain at the beginning of March, part of the scientific community gave hope that the virus would weaken with the arrival of heat and the summer months. In fact, a large number of research and scientific studies have been carried out linking temperature and humidity conditions with the spread of the disease.
Thus, one of the hypotheses held by scientists was that the coronavirus might be less transmissible when the warmer months are reached, although to date there is no evidence to show that COVID-19 will not survive the heat and that the development of the pandemic will slow down with the arrival of summer.
Compared to other coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV, which was active between 2002 and 2004, it almost completely disappeared in the summer of 2004, with the last cases being reported between April and May 2004. In the case of MERS, which was reported in 2012, cases have been detected in up to 27 countries to date, although it is a virus that spreads less than COVID-19. Compared to the influenza virus, for example, it spreads more during the winter months, and generally survives higher temperatures less well.
However, the rapid spread of COVID-19 in some southern hemisphere countries – such as Brazil, Peru or Australia – that were in the summer season does not give hope about the possible loss of strength of the virus during the summer. In this line, some studies already point out that the heat will not stop the advance of the coronavirus.
At the same time, a study carried out by members of the Carlos III Health Institute and the Technical University of Denmark points out that pandemic prevention measures could leave the most disadvantaged groups vulnerable. Thus, it should be recalled that the groups most affected by COVID-19 are the same ones that are most affected by rising temperatures, i.e. patients with respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and the elderly.
In a heat wave scenario during the summer, measures to avoid high temperatures ‘clash’ in some cases with measures to avoid the pandemic, some are as follows:
Closure of refrigerated public spaces: public buildings such as libraries, swimming pools or leisure centers that are closed during the summer limit the possibilities of avoiding the heat during the summer.
Restrictions on access to leisure and hospitality venues: the limitation of capacity in refrigerated venues such as bars, discos, cinemas or museums limits the number of places to go during the summer as an alternative to the heat.
Restrictions on access to beaches and swimming pools: capacity limitations at parks and beaches, as well as swimming pools, similarly limit access to resources to avoid very hot days.
In recent days, safety when using air conditioning has been in question. On the one hand, there is concern about the drafts generated by air conditioners, and on the other hand, there is concern that the “contaminated” air remains in the air for a certain period of time. If the virus remains suspended in the air, and air conditioners produce air currents, the virus could reach more people. In addition, coronavirus is also known to affect more people indoors, so air conditioning could be a problem. For example, a study carried out in China which investigated infections in a restaurant, an office building and a bus with several infected people have one thing in common: air conditioning.
In this case, various specialists have pointed out that in order to be able to use these cooling tools, it is essential to maintain hygiene and constantly renew the air. In fact, recently the Faculty of Letters of the University of Murcia has been closed after finding “traces” of COVID-19 in the air conditioning.
The most efficient recommendation will be to continue to maintain the maximum preventive measures to avoid the virus, using masks, washing hands constantly and keeping social distance.