the staff of the Ridgewod blog
Ridgewood NJ, from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Preliminary analysis by experts at the US National Academy of Sciences suggests that COVID-19 may not exhibit strong seasonality. The study evaluated available observational epidemiological data as well as laboratory experimental data, including studies both in China and other countries. The researchers did not find strong evidence that the pandemic will wane in summer months as due temperature and humidity increase; however, they note that their findings are based on limited preliminary data—some of which is of questionable quality—and that further study is required to better characterize the virus’ transmission patterns. While some data, particularly from laboratory studies, provide evidence supporting seasonality, the researchers note that these are not necessarily representative of the natural environment and that multiple countries currently in their summer season are experiencing significant volume of transmission. Additionally, the researchers cite the global susceptibility to the virus as another major driver of continued global transmission over the coming months.
