What is the relationship of cold weather to an increase in the number of infections with the Corona virus and the mutated Omicron?

Arab weather - Many Arab countries are experiencing cold weather conditions in conjunction with an exceptional rise in the number of daily infections with the Corona virus and the mutated Omicron in particular, so is cold weather one of the reasons behind the exacerbation of the number of infections?

Viruses coexist best outside the body when the weather is cold, and with the faint winter sun, there is less ultraviolet light that inhibits virus activity.

But there is an important factor behind the spread of the Corona virus during periods of cold weather, and it is related to human behavior. In the cold winter, people take shelter in homes, parks go out, windows are closed and ventilation is reduced, all of which are predisposing factors for the outbreak of the Corona virus.

Air indoors and lack of ventilation

Cold weather may prompt most people to stay indoors where it is warm, but the air is drier, which makes it easier for respiratory viruses to reach dry nasal passages, and lack of ventilation in winter increases the risk of spreading the disease and transmitting the Corona virus infection from one person to another. Because virus-laden sneezing remains in the air, researchers have found that good ventilation, as well as high relative humidity indoors, reduces virus activity.

The effect of cold air outside

Winter air outside can also be linked to the spread of respiratory viruses such as corona and influenza. The cold, dry air allows the virus to survive and transmit itself. Research has found that the virus’s outer shell becomes more durable at temperatures close to freezing, making it more active and more resilient. And easier to transmit in winter, in addition, the cold air outside reduces the ability of mucus and hairs in the nose to expel pathogens from the nose.

Immune response in cold weather

Specialists indicated that the mutant Omicron infects the upper part of the respiratory system in the human body, and it is known that rhinoviruses reproduce better at temperatures lower than the temperature of the human body, so that these degrees are usually found in the nose, as the temperature in the nasal cavity usually ranges 33 - 35 degrees Celsius, which is lower than the basic human body temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, which makes the nose a fertile environment for viruses to multiply.

Studies have also found that immune system cells initiate a stronger antiviral defense in the lung at core human body temperature, versus lower nasal cavity temperature. This means that the body may not fight the virus if the temperature in the nose and upper airway drops in cold weather, which Increases the likelihood of disease.

And other reasons that affect the immune response of the human body in cold weather are:

• sudden changes in temperature;
• Vitamin D levels drop during the winter months due to less exposure to sunlight.
• Spend more time indoors, which increases people's closeness to each other.
• The narrowing of the blood vessels in the airway due to inhalation of cold, dry air, prevents white blood cells from reaching the mucous membrane, making it difficult for the body to fight germs.

protection

It is good that there are several ways that people can follow to avoid infection during the winter, and here are some of them:

1. Take a vitamin D supplement, or eat foods that are high in vitamin D, such as fatty fish, mushrooms and eggs.
2. Get plenty of sleep.
3. Avoid cold, dry air.
4. Wash hands regularly.
5. Always sneeze and cough into clean tissues, and if a tissue is not available, it is better to use the elbow instead of the hands, because contaminated hands spread viruses.