Author: Merentsova Anastasia
Translator: Uspanova Ainura
Copy editors: Kigbaeva Kamila, Issabayeva Madina
According to a published article in Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, in a study in Sydney in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, scientists found a link between low humidity and a local increase in coronavirus infections.
This is the first peer-reviewed work addressing the relationship between climate and Covid-19. The author, on the basis of statistical data, concluded that in China, Europe and North America, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was most actively spread at the end of winter - early spring, while in these countries there was a lower relative humidity than in other countries.
How does moisture affect the spread of the virus? The drier the air, the longer it holds small aerosol droplets that contain viral particles.
Thus, Australian researchers examined data on 749 cases of coronavirus pneumonia in Sydney and its suburbs. Comparing the postal codes of patients with data from the nearest meteorological station, the researchers recorded information on the amount of precipitation, temperature and humidity in a specific area of the city.
The study showed that a decrease in relative humidity entails an increase in the number of recorded cases of Covid-19. Even a one percent reduction in humidity can increase the number of cases by 6%.
Since scientists took into account only the relative humidity, while many studies on respiratory viruses show that absolute humidity affects the survival of viruses. Obviously, more research is needed to finally clarify this issue.
Source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/tbed.13631
