Higher temperatures affect the survival of the new coronavirus

https://rs-lat.sputniknews.com/svet/202003311122220788-grcki-strucnjaci-otkrili-kako-se-virus-korona-ponasa-na-visim-temperaturama-vazduha-epidemija-pandemija-kovid-19/

Sputnik.rs published an article claiming that Greek experts had conducted research and found out how the new coronavirus acts when exposed to higher temperatures.

The article on this web portal states that "although data on the effect of temperature on the spread of coronavirus so far has been varied, the most recent research conducted in Greece appears to show that the virus is transmitted less in countries with high temperatures."

Furthermore, Sputnik writes:

"We found a clear effect of temperature on the rate of spread of this disease, because countries with lower air temperatures, especially those with an average temperature of 0 to 18 degrees Celsius have shown a more steep increase in new COVID-19 cases per day and a higher total number of confirmed cases compared to countries with higher average temperatures," Yurgulianis told ANU.

This information was published by several web portals across the region – Krstarica, Srbininfo, and Glas javnosti. The article was also shared on their social media pages, which led to an increase in the number of people reached by this information.

UNICEF volunteers - young reporters consulted the official website of the World Health Organization (WHO) to verify this claim:

“From the evidence so far, the COVID-19 virus can be transmitted in all areas, including areas with hot and humid weather. Regardless of the climate, adopt protective measures if you live in, or travel to, an area reporting COVID-19. The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 is by frequently washing your hands. By doing this, you eliminate viruses that may be on your hands and avoid infection that could occur by then touching your eyes, mouth or nose."

Also, the WHO has reported that there is no reason to believe that cold weather can kill the new coronavirus or other diseases. The average temperature of the human body remains around 36.5 to 37 degrees Celsius, regardless of the external temperature or weather.

We also asked the Institute of Public Health of Montenegro (IPH) if there was any apparent effect of temperature on the speed of spread of coronavirus.

"It is not possible to conclude with precision whether this is the result of the isolated influence of air temperature or some other factors that go along with it, such as changes in people's behaviour and habits (e.g. when there is warm weather, people tend to spend less time indoors, especially in the spring), the amount of the sun's UV rays known to kill microorganisms, and the like,” the IPH's statement read.

We also asked them whether the regional media’s reports that "countries with lower average air temperatures, especially those with an average temperature of 0 to 18 degrees Celsius, are experiencing a steep increase in new COVID-19 cases per day and a higher total number of confirmed cases compared to countries with higher average temperature” were based on scientific findings.

“Many respiratory infections, especially influenza, have a clear seasonal pattern and remain more common in the late autumn and winter. This is most likely a consequence of people's habits and behaviour related to spending more time indoors together with other people. It is also a consequence of certain changes in the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth – the most common places the virus enters the body. There are probably many factors involved rather than the air temperature alone contributing to such differences,” claims the Institute for Public Health.

Based on all these arguments, we can conclude that information that the virus spreads faster in lower-temperature countries cannot be considered scientific fact.

UNICEF's young reporters are calling upon the citizens of Montenegro to check all the information they read on the media and social networks and to use only reliable sources of information – the website of the World Health Organization, the Ministry of Health, the Institute of Public Health and UNICEF.

In an effort to contribute to preventing the dissemination of coronavirus misinformation and to promoting credible sources of information, UNICEF’s young reporters have decided to check the accuracy of information published on social media and in the media that has attracted public attention. In verifying the accuracy of information, they have followed the example of the Public Disclosure Platform “Raskrinkavanje“ and partly used its publicly availab