EP.424 - Interview with Tommy O 1% of the Outlaws MC A Battle with COVID
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EP.424 - Interview with Tommy O 1% of the Outlaws MC A Battle with COVID
Grandma's adage that you can catch the flu from the cold weather is not without merit. This association is undoubtedly evident for COVID-19, whose incidence is predicted to continue to increase exponentially as winter approaches.
Indeed, it is not the cold weather per se that causes these respiratory diseases, but rather, pathogenic organisms. SARS-CoV-2 spreads mainly through contact (via droplets and aerosols), and longer-range and airborne transmission can occur via aerosols, especially in enclosed spaces with inadequate ventilation. But what is the mechanism by which cold temperatures facilitate the spread of respiratory infections?
Seasonal variation in the incidence of respiratory infections is well-established. Similar to the 1918 H1N1 influenza pandemic (the "Spanish flu"), the deadliest in recent history, we are witnessing a rapidly accelerating increase in COVID-19 as we move into the cold season. Nonetheless, there is no firm consensus in the scientific community as to why this seasonal variability occurs. A number of plausible explanations have been proffered, particularly in the context of the common flu, which helped to inform public health measures against SARS-CoV-2.
SARS-CoV-2 shares key transmission characteristics with the influenza virus, albeit there are major differences. The epidemiological triad, a seminal public health model for understanding disease causation and spread, posits that risk and severity of infection is a function of the interaction of the agent or causal organism, the host (person susceptible to infection), and the environment (setting or context in which infection occurs). Each of these factors can be influenced by other characteristics (such as temperature and humidity) which can modify infection dynamics.