COVID-19 may not be seasonal like the flu, study finds: 'Transmission has not slowed down during warm months' - Yahoo Lifestyle

While previous studies have predicted that the coronavirus will eventually become seasonal like the flu, new research suggests that the virus may stick around all year.

Respiratory viruses are often seasonal, and some, including influenza A and B, typically prefer the dry, cold conditions common in the winter.

But the new study, published in the journal Nature, suggests that sustained transmission of the coronavirus “can still happen in warm and humid places, as seen in the U.S.

Santillana points to a recent study that found “higher temperatures may have led to higher [COVID-19] transmission in 122 cities in China, concluding that there was no evidence supporting the hypothesis that case counts of COVID-19 would decline when temperatures increase,” he says.

However, Santillana says this does not “negate the possibility that temperature and humidity could play a modulating role on COVID-19 transmission as they do in influenza transmission.” He explains that early in the pandemic, “susceptibility to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was very high and thus transmission was explosive,” making it difficult to identify the effect of environmental factors (such as weather) on transmission rates.

But “as more people become infected — and hopefully immune to COVID-19 — we may see a more pronounced effect of temperature and humidity on transmission, and over time it may become a more seasonal disease,” says Santillana.

Although it is slowly mutating, there is “little evidence to support speculating that the virus will weaken over time,” says Gonsenhauser.

“We have anecdotal evidence that the virus has been more severe on reinfection, but these accounts are extremely limited.

But this is pure speculation and is not supported by comparisons to influenza, nor is it supported by scientific evidence at this time.”.

So if more evidence shows that COVID-19 isn’t seasonal, what effect would that have on people year-round.

Gonsenhauser says that’s a difficult question to answer right now.

“At this point, the virus is still novel and most people have never been exposed to it,” he says.

“For the immediate future, we should expect to continue most if not all of the precautions we are currently taking, indefinitely,” says Gonsenhauser?

This may change as more people get infected and/or if an effective and broadly available vaccine becomes available.”?

Flu season is just getting started, and misinformation about influenza and the coronavirus is already swirling.

Mothers who are infected from the virus should remain with their newborns, claims new study Since the first cases of COVID-19 were only identified less than ten months ago, there is still so much we don’t know about the virus that has killed over 215,000 Americans

A common cold virus lasts about 7 to 10 days, and you generally won't need to see a doctor

Here's what you need to know about the cold