Environmental factors and their role in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Dawid Maciorowski; Divakar Sharma; Adinarayana Kunamneni

doi:10.1016/j.bsheal.2021.07.005

Environmental factors and their role in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Biosaf Health. 2021 Oct;3(5):235-237. doi: 10.1016/j.bsheal.2021.07.005. Epub 2021 Aug 12.

Authors

Dawid Maciorowski^{1

2}, Divakar Sharma^{3

4}, Adinarayana Kunamneni⁵

Affiliations

¹ Grousbeck Gene Therapy Center, Schepens Eye Research Institute and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA.
² Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
³ Hericure Healthcare Pvt Ltd, Pune, India.
⁴ Department of Microbiology, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi 110002, India.
⁵ Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.

Abstract

In December of 2019, several cases of atypical pneumonia caused by an unknown agent were reported in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province in China. In early January 2020, it was announced that these cases were caused by a novel coronavirus. The virus was later named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes a disease associated with atypical pneumonia termed Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Several respiratory viruses, including coronaviruses and influenza viruses tend to have prominent peaks of infection during colder seasons, especially in temperate regions. The cold temperatures, along with accompanying dry conditions can drive respiratory tract infections by assisting with viral transmission, weakening the human immune system, and increasing viral molecular stability. Though the topic of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and warm weather has been associated with misinformation campaigns, it is worth investigating since an informative answer may give an indication of the future behavior of SARS-CoV-2.

Keywords: COVID-19; Environmental factors; SARS-CoV-2; Transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Publication types

Review