DUSHANBE, 08.05.2020. (NIAT Khovar) – As the air temperature continues to increase in Tajikistan, some are questioning whether the summer heat will be able to kill off COVID-19. Some believe that hot weather can eliminate COVID-19. However, currently this hypothesis cannot be confirmed scientifically.

“Today, COVID-19 is prevalent all over the world. It exists in the hottest African states where 49,000 individuals are currently infected. Cases also exist in Saudi Arabia, with 33,731 infected individuals, and United Arab Emirates with 16,240 cases. However, if we focus on just hot countries, for example, on Saudi Arabia, where it was 38-40 degrees since the beginning of the virus outbreak, or on the UAE, we will see that there the incidence rate is lower than in other countries. This suggests that to some extent, that climatic conditions affect the situation,” says the head of the Microbiology, Immunology and Virology Department of  the Tajik State Medical University Saidbek Sattorov

Sattorov adds that the main transmission pathways are through the air and contact with the virus located on inanimate objects.

“What happens to viruses during hot weather? They die, so the probability of COVID-19’s long-term preservation in the environment during heat is much reduced,” he notes.

According to the forecast of the Tajik virologist, the spread of COVID-19 will decrease by summer.

Much depends on the immunity of the individual. However, during summers people’s immunity in general is much stronger than in winter and spring when they experience vitamin deficiency and reduced immunity. Both of these factors, likely, will result in the reduction of cases.