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Seasonality of COVID-19: Impact on the spread and severity

15 April 2020

This rapid report synthesises the evidence base on the impact of winter on the spread of COVID-19. Research suggests there will be some influence of winter on the spread and severity of COVID-19, as lower humidity and air temperature can increase the viability and virulence of the virus and therefore its infectivity. However, human behaviour is a dominant contributor to the transmission of COVID-19 and physical distancing will have a more potent impact on controlling the spread than seasonal variability.

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Contributing authors
Image of Professor Allen Cheng
Professor Allen Cheng Monash University
Image of Professor Helen Christensen AO FASSA FAHMS
Professor Helen Christensen AO FASSA FAHMS Director and Chief Scientist of the Black Dog Institute
Image of Professor Tony Cunningham AO FAHMS
Professor Tony Cunningham AO FAHMS Westmead Institute for Medical Research, University of Sydney
Professor Andrew Cuthbertson AO FAA FTSE FAHMS
Professor Andrew Cuthbertson AO FAA FTSE FAHMS Chief Scientist, CSL Limited
Image of Professor Trevor Drew OBE FRSB
Professor Trevor Drew OBE FRSB Director, Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, CSIRO.
Image of Professor Sharon Friel FASSA
Professor Sharon Friel FASSA Australian National University
Image of Professor Fiona Stanley AC FAA FASSA FAHMS
Professor Fiona Stanley AC FAA FASSA FAHMS University of Western Australia
Image of Professor Carola Vinuesa
Professor Carola Vinuesa FAA Australian National University
Peer reviewers
Image of Professor Warwick Anderson AM FAHA FASSA FAHMS
Professor Warwick Anderson AM FAHA FASSA FAHMS University of Sydney
Image of Professor Alex Brown FAHMS
Professor Alex Brown FAHMS South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
Image of Professor Emma Kowal FASSA
Professor Emma Kowal FASSA Deakin University
Image of Professor John Shine AC PresAA
Professor John Shine AC PresAA President of the Australian Academy of Science

© 2024 Australian Academy of Science

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