Why extreme heat is so alarming for the fight against Covid-19

Why extreme heat is so alarming for the fight against Covid-19
“I’m actually really worried about indoor transmission.”
By Umair Irfan Jul 10, 2020, 10:20am EDT

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However, the combination of extreme heat and a fast-spreading virus in the Sun Belt is now creating a new set of problems that could undermine efforts to control Covid-19. From hampering surge capacity plans for hospitals to increasing people’s likelihood of getting exposed to the virus while sheltering indoors from the heat, heat can make things harder. And temperatures are poised to rise even higher in the southwest in the future due to factors like the urban heat island effect and climate change.

But there are ways to mitigate some of these risks. In particular, tactics like increasing ventilation reduces the likelihood of transmitting the infection indoors. These measures will be key to making schools, offices, and public spaces safe enough to reopen.

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People spending more time indoors

When temperatures get searingly hot, people spend more time in enclosed spaces, which presents the greatest opportunity for infection if the virus is present. “I’m actually really worried about indoor transmission,” said Davidson Hamer, a professor of global health and medicine at Boston University. “It’s so hot in the Southwest US that people are not outside. They’re being driven inside, so then you have all the issues of aerosol transmission and recycled air, a lot of which honestly we don’t fully understand yet.”

For a state like Arizona, it can be difficult to go outside at all for days at a time. But it’s not clear yet whether this will raise or lower the transmission rate of Covid-19.

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https://www.vox.com/2020/7/10/21311766/covid-19-coronavirus-heat-wave-hot-texas-arizona