Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Wednesday that the U.S. and other countries "need to be prepared for another cycle" of novel coronavirus next winter.
"'Would this possibly become a seasonal, cyclic thing?' ... I think it very well might," Fauci said.
"And the reason I say that, is that what we're starting to see now, in the Southern Hemisphere and southern Africa and in the Southern Hemisphere countries, is we're having cases that are appearing as they go into their winter season.
Fauci said he knows "we'll be successful in putting this down now." "But we really need to be prepared for another cycle," he said. "And what we're doing, I believe, will prepare us well."
As the outbreak of the new coronavirus continues, some believe that the coming warm weather in the northern hemisphere may slow or even stop the spread of the disease.
The idea that the coming spring may prevent the spread of the disease is mainly due to the comparison with the flu.
In many ways, COVID-19 spreads in a similar manner as the flu, causing typical mild respiratory illnesses and developing into life-threatening pneumonia.
However, the transmission rate and severity of COVID-19 is much higher than that of influenza, and it is unclear whether the transmission of COVID-19 will be affected by seasonal temperature changes.
For the flu, the arrival of spring will cause a significant drop in the number of cases until the fall in temperature.
For many of us, shorter winters lead to lower vitamin D and melatonin levels, which affects our immune system's ability.
In winter, we spend more time indoors and get closer to other people, which further increases the chance of virus transmission.
It is unclear what effect temperature and humidity have on the new novel coronavirus itself and its transmission, while some other new coronaviruses are seasonal.
