COVID‐19: A relationship to climate and environmental conditions?

• Published in: Dermatologic Therapy 2020-07, Vol.33 (4), p.e13399-n/a
• Main Authors: Kroumpouzos, George, Gupta, Mrinal, Jafferany, Mohammad, Lotti, Torello, Sadoughifar, Roxanna, Sitkowska, Zuzanna, Goldust, Mohamad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Betacoronavirus - isolation & purification; Climate; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - virology; COVID-19; Humans; Letter; Letters; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; SARS-CoV-2; Weather
• ISSN: 1396-0296; 1529-8019
• DOI: 10.1111/dth.13399

Dear Editor, Since December 2019, coronavirus (CoV) disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has spread rapidly throughout the world, and World Health Organization declared it a health emergency.1-3 A significant number of infectious diseases, including human CoVs, display seasonal patterns in their incidence. Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity play an important role in progression and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)‐CoV infection with the virus retaining its viability for over 5 days at temperatures of 22°C to 25°C and relative humidity (RH) of 40% to 50%. Weather patterns in COVID‐19 (5°C‐11°C and 47%‐70% RH) are similar to those of SARS‐CoV mentioned above and known laboratory conditions that favor CoV survival (4°C, 20%‐80% RH).5 Nevertheless, the dynamics of viral transmission depend on many other factors like physical property of the virus, outdoor and indoor environments, population densities, hygiene, space, and genetic predispositions, which may be the reason for its spread in relatively warmer areas.6, 7 The presence of central air‐conditioning, which tends to maintain a lower ambient room temperature, may play a role in virus spread in closed spaces irrespective of the outside temperature.