Coronavirus outbreak | COVID-19 spread may intensify during monsoons: IIT Bombay study

At a time when India is bracing for monsoons amid the coronavirus outbreak, a study conducted by two Indian professors has suggested that the COVID-19 spread may intensify during the monsoons.

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) professors Amit Agarwal and Rajneesh Bharadwaj have claimed that humid weather catalyses the spread of coronavirus, while hot and dry weather reduces the risk. The researchers studied the life of droplets through which the novel coronavirus gets transmitted from one patient to another.

According to a report in India Today, the study found that droplets dried off quicker in hot and dry regions, negating the risk of spreading the deadly disease.

Commenting on the research findings, Bhardwaj said, “The virus spreads when the infected person coughs or sneezes. The weather of the area where the infected person is in could be a very important parameter. In dry areas, the droplet might dry off very quickly, so the spread would be less.”

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Meanwhile, Agarwal explained that the virus present in a droplet dies when the droplet dries up. He further said that this is why in hot and dry weather areas, where droplets evaporate quickly, the virus is likely to die sooner than in humid conditions. The professors also said the virus will thrive longer in arid conditions only in cold weather where droplets do not evaporate easily.

One must note here, no other study has so far concluded that there is a correlation between COVID-19 spread and weather/climatic conditions. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as well as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have denied any link between the two phenomena.

However, if this theory holds true, it could spell doom for India, especially Mumbai – which is adversely affected by the coronavirus outbreak – and also experiences heavy downpour every monsoon.

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