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HEALTH-VIRUS-SEASONAL
Coronavirus could become seasonal: top US scientist
WASHINGTON, March 26, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – There is a strong chance the new
coronavirus could return in seasonal cycles, a senior US scientist said
Wednesday, underscoring the urgent need to find a vaccine and effective
treatments.
Anthony Fauci, who leads research into infectious diseases at the National
Institutes of Health, told a briefing the virus was beginning to take root in
the southern hemisphere, where winter is on its way.
“What we’re starting to see now… in southern Africa and in the southern
hemisphere countries, is that we’re having cases that are appearing as they
go into their winter season,” he said.
“And if, in fact, they have a substantial outbreak, it will be inevitable
that we need to be prepared that we’ll get a cycle around the second time.
“It totally emphasizes the need to do what we’re doing in developing a
vaccine, testing it quickly and trying to get it ready so that we’ll have a
vaccine available for that next cycle.”
There are currently two vaccines that have entered human trials — one in
the US and one in China — and they could be a year to a year-and-a-half away
from deployment.
Treatments are also being investigated — some new drugs and others that
have been repurposed, including the antimalarials chloroquine and
hydroxychloroquine.
“I know we’ll be successful in putting this down now, but we really need to
be prepared for another cycle,” Fauci concluded.
Fauci’s comments suggesting the virus does better in colder weather than it
does in hot and humid conditions follows a recent Chinese research paper —
still preliminary and awaiting peer-review — that reached the same
conclusion.
The reasons are thought to include that respiratory droplets remain
airborne for longer in colder weather, and that cold weather weakens
immunity.
Another potential reason is that viruses degrade more quickly on hotter
surfaces, possibly because a protective layer of fat that envelops them dries
out quicker.
But reduced infection rate does not mean the virus gets eliminated —
Australia has had almost 2,500 confirmed cases and 8 deaths, for example.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0950 hrs