Scientists already know in advance that the new type of coronavirus spreads with equal success.
Now the researchers decided to test it.statement on a wider data set. They studied the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 144 geopolitical zones - in the states and provinces of Australia, the USA and Canada, as well as in different countries of the world. In total, the sample included data on 375 thousand confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection.
To estimate the growth of the epidemic,The researchers compared the number of cases on March 27 and cases on March 20, 2020, and determined the effects of latitude, temperature, humidity, school closures, mass gathering restrictions, and social distancing measured during the March exposure period.
The study found that the relationship between latitudeor the temperature and epidemic increase of COVID-19, as well as a weak relationship between humidity and reduced transmission were not detected. Researchers especially note the fact that hotter weather also does not affect the development of a pandemic. At the same time, quarantine measures helped to significantly slow down the spread of the virus.
We conducted a preliminary study, whichsuggested that latitude and temperature could play a role. But when we repeated the study under much more stringent conditions, we got the opposite result. We want people to know that increasing temperatures in the summer does not reduce the risk of spreading the virus - this is especially important in conditions when many countries plan to weaken the quarantine regime.
Dionne Gesink, lead author of the study
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