![]() ![]() SARS-COV-2 virus particles (pink) infecting a human cell. (opens in a new tab) (Opens in a new tab) "It has everyone on the planet to attack," said Dan Janies, a professor of bioinformatics at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who researches viruses. So no matter what climate folks inhabit, they're highly susceptible to becoming infected with this coronavirus. That's because most of us have no immunity to SARS-CoV-2, and a vaccine is likely at best (Opens in a new tab) a year to 18 months (Opens in a new tab) away. When it comes to new human viruses (like this coronavirus, also called SARS-CoV-2, that only leaped from animals to humans some five months ago) the seasons and climate take a backseat to the reality that humans are really susceptible to this novel pathogen. "But that won’t stop someone from giving it to someone else," he emphasized, referencing how the virus can easily be passed directly between people in close contact, even just by talking. ![]() This could decrease the likelihood of someone touching a surface and potentially becoming infected. "I wouldn't be surprised if the novel coronavirus didn't survive as well on surfaces outdoors," said Mushatt. The new coronavirus, too, may fall apart more rapidly when exposed to heat and humidity this summer, say on a door knob or handrail. There's also compelling evidence (Opens in a new tab) that the influenza virus loses some of its ability to infect people when it travels through humid air (Opens in a new tab) (which is common in the summer). "That makes them easier to kill." The flu, which has a more brittle shell, infects fewer people during the summer. "Lipid shells are weaker," said Siobain Duffy, who researches the evolution of viruses at Rutgers University. For example, flu viruses and coronaviruses have fatty exteriors. One explanation is that viruses with a certain type of shell, made out of fats (known as lipids), are more susceptible to heat, explained Mushatt. Meanwhile, an entire family of viruses, called enteroviruses (Opens in a new tab), infect most people during summer, sickening 10 to 15 million Americans (Opens in a new tab) annually with a variety of illnesses. Rhinoviruses (which cause the common cold), infect most people in cooler months, too. It's well known that the flu virus is most common during the fall and winter, and fizzles out over summer ( but you can still catch it during summer (Opens in a new tab)). "The million-dollar question is why they behave differently," said David Mushatt, the infectious disease section chief at Tulane University School of Medicine. Why, however, do different viruses "prefer" different seasons, or become significantly more transmissible in summer or winter? There's no simple answer, and big unknowns remain, but there are some important factors. We're going to be living with this new, circulating virus - which has no proven medical treatments nor a vaccine - throughout this year and beyond, though exactly how long is unknown. The preponderance (Opens in a new tab) of research (Opens in a new tab) suggests (Opens in a new tab) warmer weather might have a small impact on slowing the spread of coronavirus, but the summer itself certainly won't end the historic pandemic. It's increasingly clear that summer won't quell the new coronavirus. ![]()
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