Changing the narrative...again.
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Coronavirus: covid defined as seasonal disease.
So, now it's just a simple flu! How did we not realize it before! ( 😡😡😡🤬 )

Coronavirus: definen a la covid como enfermedad estacional | La clasificación es importante para diseñar las estrategias de lucha contra la pandemia
La <b>covid-19 es una enfermedad estacional</b> y su transmisión está asociada a temperaturas y humedad bajas, como ocurre con la <b>gripe </b>y otros <b>resfriados </b>causados por coronavirus, según un estudio del Instituto de Salud Global de Barcelo...
Coronavirus: covid defined as seasonal disease.
Covid-19 is a seasonal disease and its transmission is associated with low temperatures and humidity, as is the case with influenza and other colds caused by coronaviruses, according to a study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).
The study, published Thursday in the journal Nature Computational Science, also highlights the "considerable" contribution of aerosol transmission and the need to adopt measures that promote "air hygiene".
Initially, scientists ruled out that Sars-CoV-2 behaved as a seasonal virus similar to the influenza virus because it appeared to transmit with the same intensity throughout the year.
An early study with theoretical models suggested that weather was not an important factor, given the large number of susceptible people with no prior immunity to the virus.
However, some observations suggested that the initial spread of the virus in China occurred at a latitude between 30 and 50 degrees north, with low humidity levels and cold temperatures of between 5°C and 11°C.
"The question of whether covid-19 is a truly seasonal disease becomes increasingly important to implement effective interventions," said ISGlobal's Climate and Health program director and study coordinator, Xavier Rodó.
In statements to Efe, he recalled that ISGlobal developed "one of only two predictive computational models that have been applied in many countries, with very positive results in most of them".
ISGlobal researchers have analyzed the association of temperature and humidity in the initial phase of virus spread in 162 countries, correlated it with the transmission rate of Sars-CoV-2, and found that higher transmission rates are associated with lower temperatures and humidity.
They have also analyzed the evolution of this association between climate and disease over time, and whether it was consistent at different geographical scales using a statistical method specifically designed to identify similar patterns of variation, i.e. a pattern recognition tool in different time windows.
Thus, they found that the first pandemic waves decreased with increasing temperature and humidity, and that the second wave increased with decreasing temperature and humidity. However, this pattern broke down during the summer on all continents.
"This could be due to several factors, including massive concentrations of young people, tourism and air conditioning, among others," justified ISGlobal researcher Alejandro Fontal.
When they studied the correlations with climate in southern hemisphere countries, where the virus arrived later, they observed the same pattern of behavior.
The effects of climate were most evident at temperatures between 12ºC and 18ºC and humidity levels between 4 and 12 g/m3, although the researchers have cautioned that these are indicative ranges, due to the limited time of records.
Finally, using an epidemiological model, the study shows that incorporating temperature into the transmission rate works best for predicting the rise and fall of different waves, particularly the first and third waves in Europe.
"Our results as a whole support the idea that covid-19 is a truly seasonal infection, similar to influenza and the other common cold coronaviruses," Rodó concluded.
This seasonality, according to the researchers, could contribute to the transmission of Sars-CoV-2, as low humidity conditions reduce the size of aerosols and thus increase airborne transmission of seasonal viruses such as influenza.
"This association justifies the need to sanitize the air through better ventilation of indoor spaces, as aerosols can remain suspended for longer," according to Rodó, who stressed the need to include meteorological parameters in the planning and evaluation of control measures.
So, now it's just a simple flu! How did we not realize it before! ( 😡😡😡🤬 )