There is no evidence that temperature of a geography can reduce the spread of Covid-19 disease, says a new study.
The study which analysed 144 geographical areas have found that there was association between temperature or latitude and the spread of coronavirus disease. The study was published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
The Canadian study looked at 144 geopolitical areas in Australia, the United States and Canada as well as various countries around the world and a total of more than 375 600 confirmed cases.
They found little or no association between latitude or temperature with epidemic growth of COVID-19 and a weak association between humidity and reduced transmission. The results — that hotter weather had no effect on the pandemic’s progression — surprised the authors.
The researchers did find that public health measures, including school closures, social distancing and restrictions of large gatherings, have been effective.
“Summer is not going to make this go away,” says Prof. Dionne Gesink, a coauthor and epidemiologist at Dalla Lana School of Public Health. “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.”
