Explained: Will summer heat kill COVID-19 virus?..

The temperature in several parts of India has crossed 30°C and is expected to touch 40°C in the northern regions in the next two weeks. What will it mean to the survival of the novel coronavirus..

The temperature in several parts of India has crossed 30°C and is expected to touch 40°C in the northern regions in the next two weeks. What will it mean to the survival of the novel coronavirus? The effect of temperature and humidity on the virus is still being researched worldwide.

What the experts say

WHO: The World Health Organization has said that from the “evidence so far, the COVID19 virus can be transmitted in ALL AREAS, including hot and humid weathers”.

ICMR: Indian Council of Medical Research director general Balram Bhargava has stressed that at present, there is no relationship between temperature and the spread.

AIIMS: AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, a member of the high-level technical committee to guide strategies against COVID-19, told The Indian Express in a recent interview: “The virus probably will not survive for a long duration in an outdoor environment, if the temperature is above 40°. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine used weather modelling data to predict that COVID-19 is likely to follow a seasonal pattern. In an online paper in Social Science Research Network, the team led by Dr Mohd Sajadi observed a significant community spread along a east-west distribution approximately between latitudes 30°N and 50°N at similar weather patterns (temperature between 5-11°C and humidity between 47-79%).

These include Wuhan, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Northern Italy, Seattle, and Northern California. Using 2019 temperature data for March and April, community spread is likely to reach north of the current areas at risk, the paper predicts. These include Manchuria, Central Asia, the Caucuses, Eastern and Central Europe, the British Isles, Northeastern &  Midwestern US &  British Columbia..