Hotter, humid weather may not halt virus: study
According to a global study on novel Coronavirus, temperature and latitude are not associated with the spread of COVID-19 disease that found public health measures, including school closures, social distancing and restrictions of large gatherings etc are having a positive effect on containing the virus.
The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, looked at 144 geopolitical areas, states and provinces in Australia, the US, and Canada as well as various countries around the world.
"Our study provides important new evidence, using global data from the COVID-19 epidemic, that these public health interventions have reduced epidemic growth," said Peter Juni from the University of Toronto, and St. Michael's Hospital in Canada.
To estimate epidemic growth, the researchers compared the number of cases on March 27 with those on March 20. They determined the influence of latitude, temperature, humidity, school closures and social distancing measured during the exposure period of March 7 to 13.
The study found little or no association between latitude or temperature with epidemic growth of COVID-19, and a weak association between humidity and reduced transmission.
Professor Dionne Gesink, a coauthor and epidemiologist at Dalla Lana School of Public Health in Canada said, "Summer is not going to make this go away. It's important people know that. On the other hand, the more public health interventions an area had in place, the bigger the impact on slowing the epidemic growth. These public health interventions are really important because they're the only thing working right now to slow the epidemic."
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