Beirut: We’re all too familiar with the seasonal patterns of some of the respiratory viruses & as of now scientists suggest that COVID-19, the illness caused by this SARS-CoV-Two infection, going to likely follow suit & becomes seasonal in nations with temperate climates, however only when herd immunity is attained.
Till that time, COVID-19 going to continue to circulate around the seasons. These conclusions posted within the journal Frontiers in People Health, highlight the absolute importance of people health steps required just as of now to curb the infection.
“COVID-19 is here to stay & it’ll continue to cause outbreaks year-round till herd immunity is achieved,” stated research researcher Hassan Zaraket from that American University of Beirut in Lebanon.
Thus, the people going to want to learn to live with it & continue practising the finest prevention steps, involving wearing of face masks, social distancing, hand hygiene & avoidance of gatherings.” Zaraket added further.
Collaborating author Hadi Yassine, of Qatar University in Doha, confirms & states that there can be several waves of COVID-19 before herd immunity is achieved.
“We really know that numerous respiratory viruses follow seasonal patterns, specially in temperate areas,” Yassine stated.
For instance, influenza & multiple types of coronaviruses that cause the common cold are well-known to peak in winter in temperate areas however circulate year-round in tropical areas.
The authors reviewed these seasonal viruses, investigating the viral & host factors that curb their own seasonality along with the latest knowledge on the stability & transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
The researchers clarify that infection survival within the air & on surfaces, citizens’s susceptibility to infections & person behaviors, like indoor crowding, differ around the seasons because of shifts in temp & humidity.
These factors influence the transmission of respiratory viruses in various times of the yr.. Although, in comparison to different respiratory viruses like the flu, COVID-19 has a higher rate of transmission (R0), at the least partly because of circulation in a mostly immunologically naive public.
This means that unlike the flu & different respiratory viruses, the factors governing seasonality of viruses can’t yet suspend the spread of COVID-19 within the summer mos. However, once herd immunity is attained using normal infections & vaccinations, the R0 must drop substantially, creating the infection extra susceptible to seasonal factors.
“Whether our predictions hold true (or) not remains to be witnessed within the future. However we think it’s greatly likely, given what we really know till now, COVID-19 going to eventually becomes seasonal, like different coronaviruses,” Zaraket observed.