IT IS NOT YET BRAVO, but could be a breather to Nigeria and Nigerians. A new study has suggested that rising temperatures, such as the temperature in Nigeria, and humidity levels are, likely, to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
This development needs not be taken for granted by Nigerians. But citizens need to continue to, copiously, observe the stiff measures by federal and states governments in the country to contain the spread of the virus.
Report published, by Daily Mail, UK, Tuesday, indicated that as weather grew warmer and more humid in 100 Chinese cities, researchers at Beihang University and Tsinghua University, found that the transmission rate of Covid-19 dropped.
Authors of the study stated: “High temperature and high relative humidity significantly reduce the transmission of COVID-1.”
Further, the new study and public health experts, suggested that COVID-19 virus does not thrive in heat, warm temperatures and humid whether, which is capable of reducing the transmission rate. But would not stop it on its tracts.
The researchers, in the study, assessed data on more than 100 cities in China. There were 40 or more cases of the virus between January 21, and January 23, 2020, in China. They tracked the estimated number of transmissions, temperatures and humidity in those cities, before January 24, when lockdowns were effected, and the Lunar New Year celebrations were cancelled.
The study researchers, used the R coefficient number, that measures average number of people each person with the virus could infect. The team tracked transmission rates. Adjusted the numbers to account for factors that might, otherwise, influence the transmission rate – such as how densely populated, or wealthy each city was.
Further, the researchers estimated the average number of people each person with the virus would pass it to. Worldwide, experts have tried to estimate the RO, or spread of the disease. It floats between 2 and 2.5 — meaning that every person infected, gives Coronavirus to between two and two-and-a-half people.
According to Authors of the study, that estimate dropped, as temperatures and humidity rose, using one-degree Celsius increase in temperature and one per cent increase in relative humidity lower R by 0.0383 and 0.0224.
Globally, new data has shown that over 100,000 people have recovered from Covid-19. One-quarter of 372,000 infected persons have recovered, since the outbreak of the virus in December 2019, according to tracker from Johns Hopkins University Centre for Systems Science and Engineering in the United States.
President Donald Trump, of United State, had assured Americans that Coronavirus, which has infected over 41,000 people in the US, would likely fade by April because “heat kills this kind of virus.”
COVID-19, has spread to over 350,000 people worldwide, since it broke out in China in December 2019, due to cold weather. In February, 2020, Chinese case, peaked over 15,000 cases diagnosed a day. It is officially, spring in China, presently, with winter reducing, and the Covid-19 cases has reduced.
China, last week, reported no new cases of Coronavirus from the local transmission. This has been seen as encouraging development. Even though, it is met with some level of scepticism.
