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There are folk wisdom to which we are especially attached. One of them says that bitter frosts will save us from harmful bacteria and viruses. Well, when it comes to the coranavirus, this thesis can be nominated in the category of biological crap of the year. From the WHO to our national experts, everyone agrees. Minus temperatures do not harm SARS-CoV-2.
- The coronavirus can survive in freezing and is killed by the temperature of +70 degrees Celsius
- Frosty and dry aura makes us more susceptible to virus attack, as the nasal mucosa dries up faster, which impairs the work of the cilia
- – Frost does not harm the coronavirus, but it has a negative effect on us due to the fact that in winter we create ideal conditions for the transmission of infections, not only viral but all transmitted by airborne droplets – warns Prof. Anna Piekarska
- You can find more about the coronavirus on the TvoiLokony home page
It is known that coronaviruses are not resistant to high temperatures. The deactivation of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces accelerates with increasing temperature and humidity.
Laboratory studies show that outside the body, the virus is highly stable at 4 degrees C, but increasingly unstable at temperatures above 37 degrees C.
To estimate what temperature could kill SARS-CoV-2, a group of scientists looked at the behavior of other coronaviruses. One of them was his close relative SARS-CoV, the cause of SARS. Scientists have estimated that most coronaviruses die after being exposed to temperatures of at least 65 degrees C for more than three minutes.
A study published in “The Lancet Microbe” on the effect of temperature on SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory media proves that viruses were killed after five minutes at 70 degrees Celsius. C kills the coronavirus after about an hour.
W In 2010, scientists looked at two coronavirus-related strains and showed that their survival ability was higher at lower temperatures. In the Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology we find a study from the same year on the effects of temperature and humidity on the viability of viruses. Its authors prove that microorganisms live longer both at lower temperatures and at lower humidity. The “i” is dotted with a 2006 study that describes viruses that survived the freeze.
The World Health Organization has announced that the coronavirus can be transmitted in any weather, and there is no reason to believe that the cold is killing it. Rain and snow can “scatter” viruses present on various outdoor objects (eg benches), but we get infected by airborne droplets and this is the main factor causing the epidemic.
We don’t have good news in this case either. The sun doesn’t help us. A study in Spain found that the more hours you spend in the sun, the more cases you get COVID-19. This is confirmed by the delay between sunny days and falling illnesses of 8 to 11 days. The results are different in the case of flu, where transmission is lower in prolonged sunlight. However, the authors of the work explain them this way: “It is about our behavior, we are simply more likely to bypass orders and forget about safety rules on sunny days”.
Scientists are confident that the coronavirus is not affected by UV radiation as the wavelength required to kill the pathogen is below 280 nanometers (nm). This type of light – UVC radiation – does not reach the Earth because it is absorbed by the ozone layer.
Will we see an increase in COVID-19 incidence in winter?
The real worry with winter is that the low temperatures are likely to keep us in homes where the virus spreads more easily. The WHO cautions that in poorly ventilated rooms, transmission is easier because infectious particles can stay in the air for hours and people find it harder to keep their distance.
The research carried out so far shows that as temperature and humidity drop, we see more cases of COVID-19. Interestingly, there is a study showing that cold and dry weather worsens the disease.
Is COVID-19 seasonal?
The respiratory system viruses known to us show seasonal variability. Infections with influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are more common in temperate regions.
Prof. Ian Jones, virologist at the University of Reading, explains: “We are making sure that respiratory viruses are seasonal. It is likely that virus transmission on the water droplets is worse as the droplets dry faster. Air temperature and humidity as well as UV radiation can obstruct this transmission. Hence the conclusion that it is easier in autumn and winter.
A 2003 study of the SARS-CoV virus suggests that the weather plays a role in its transmission. In Hong Kong, 18 times more cases were observed at lower temperatures – below 24,6 degrees Celsius, and the epidemic died out during warm and dry July 2003.
Additionally, cold and dry winter makes us more susceptible to viruses. Under these conditions, the nasal mucosa dries out faster, which in turn impairs the functioning of the cilia (the hairs that line the nasal passage), which can lessen clear viruses from the nose. The proper functioning of the respiratory system is best served by a humidity of between 40 and 60 percent. In winter, indoor humidity is on average 10-40%, compared to 40-60%. in the fall and spring. When cold and dry outdoor air meets warm indoor air, indoor humidity can drop by up to 20%. Lower humidity promotes the spread of the aerosols and, in addition, may increase the stability of the virus.
A study of 50 COVID-19 cases in 17 Chinese cities proves a link between rising humidity and falling disease. Its authors measured the absolute humidity of the air. When the amount of water contained in the air increased by grams per cubic meter, there was a 67% reduction in COVID-19 cases (with a 14-day delay).
Members of the US Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine have adopted the following position on COVID-19 transmission: “Of the ten influenza pandemics in the past 250 years, two began in winter in the Northern Hemisphere, three in spring and fall, and two in summer. In all of them, the second wave peak was around six months after the virus appeared in the population, regardless of what time of year it was introduced ».
Princeton University researchers modeled the spread of SARS-CoV-2 with reference to the weather, using data from two beta coronaviruses that cause the common cold. It found that the pandemic transmission in the population was so strong that it nullified the minor effects of weather changes such as temperature and humidity.
The model presented by Dr. Rachel Baker explains why some countries with no restrictions, such as keeping distances, avoiding crowds or wearing face masks, show high transmission rates. Given the high percentage of vulnerable people, weather factors cannot stop the virus from spreading.
When enough people are vaccinated or recovered, we will likely only have seasonal infections, recurring every winter, as well as colds and the flu, says UCLA’s Dr. Marta Shocket.
An international group of scientists analyzed the course of COVID-19 instead of the number of cases. They used data from six European and 13 Chinese hospitals. The pandemic culminated in China during the winter, while in Europe, COVID-19 spread during the winter and spring months. Deaths in European hospitals have declined as the temperature rose. The authors of the study speculated that lower disease severity was associated with moisture-induced changes in the nasal mucosa.
We do not count on frost, we count on a vaccine
Virologists and infectious medicine specialists agree that the folk wisdom of frost killing viruses is pyramidal nonsense.
– It should be on the list of bio nonsense – says prof. Anna Piekarska, head of the Department and Clinic of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University in Łódź. – Why? Viruses can be stored at very low temperatures, such as in freezers, as research material, and they have never been harmed by freezing. Of course, they do not multiply under these conditions, but will survive.
What is left for us if we are already sure that the winter epidemic will not slow down? Medicine has a specific answer to this question: vaccinate.
– I think that from March-April vaccinations should speed up a lot – says prof. Piekarska. – As far as I know, Pfizer is opening two more factories, in which production will be in full swing. At the moment, we are dependent on supply quotas and we vaccinate what we have on a regular basis.
Prof. Piekarska emphasizes that the vaccine is not in storage and we are logistically inefficient. We cope. And all those who complain must remember that we have to postpone the pot of the preparation for the second dose.
– Especially at the beginning, when we did not know what the deliveries would be, we had to take care of it – explains prof. Piekarska. – The person receiving the first dose must be secured with the second. We cannot vaccinate all those willing to do so without worrying about what will happen next, because we are not a producer. Taking into account the huge demand for Pfizer’s preparation in the world, we must make very careful assumptions and hence the number of people vaccinated is lower than the number of vaccines that Poland received.
- See also: Why, despite the large supply of vaccines, some of them are in arrears with ARM?
Of course, for now, still the best way to stop the transmission is to wear a mask, keep your distance, and wash your hands frequently.
– All this is up-to-date, but we know that with this scale of the epidemic, these methods are not fully effective – adds Prof. Anna Piekarska. – They didn’t make the epidemic go away. And this is also an additional argument in favor of vaccinations.
Doctors emphasize that as vaccination progresses, patients should feel that the general paralysis of the health care system is subsiding. Immediately after health care workers, the oldest people are to get vaccines, because in this group we have over 20% mortality from COVID-19 and it is these people who occupy hospitals.
– Teachers postulate that they should be vaccinated as soon as possible – notes prof. Piekarska. – Of course, very willingly, but teachers do not die of COVID-19, except in isolated high-profile cases, and do not take up places in hospitals. There were no teachers at my place, even when the schools were open. My students’ grandparents were staying with me, so first we have to vaccinate the grandparents, not the teachers.
Until recently, polls showed that Poles do not want to vaccinate. Now the situation has changed. Many doctors even say that vaccination offices must prepare for the assault of the willing. Even those who cannot be vaccinated want to be vaccinated.
– I get hundreds of phone calls a day asking why a pregnant woman cannot be vaccinated – says prof. Piekarska. – You have to wait until the pregnancy ends. It is true that there are no contraindications for pregnant vaccinations, but there is also no registration. This is a formal obstacle. If a doctor selects a pregnant woman without registering the vaccine, and whatever happens after vaccination, the consequences for him can be dire.
Prof. Piekarska, however, is an optimist. He believes that the vaccine will be registered soon, because tests of pregnant women are scheduled. However, we must remember that young children and pregnant women are always the last group to register drugs and vaccines. Meanwhile, let’s live a normal life, not forgetting the precautionary measures, but let’s not be persuaded that January will miraculously end the pandemic.
— We cannot say that the frost will harm the coronavirus in any way – says. – It does not harm the virus, and it has a negative effect on us due to the fact that in winter we create ideal conditions for the transmission of infections, all infections, not only coronavirus and not only viral ones, but all those transmitted by airborne droplets.
– Just look at what is happening in Great Britain and Germany – he adds. – It’s winter there now, and the number of deaths is the highest since the beginning of the epidemic. As for COVID-19, absolutely nothing has changed. We must act as we have acted so far. Vaccinate as much as possible and wait calmly for the vaccination effect. This is the only advice.
Before the vaccinations bring the desired effect, however, it is worth remembering about humidifying the dry air in all heated rooms and about irrigating the nose.
This may interest you:
- Another pandemic? Scientists are very concerned about this virus
- Vaccinations against COVID-19. How does Poland compare with Europe?
- Eight Vaccines for Europeans. What do we know about them?
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