Fears indoor heating will speed up spread

HEATING homes during winter may make it easier for coronavirus to spread, academics from King’s College have suggested.

Researchers say dry air produced by indoor heating systems may contribute to the virus passing more easily by drying out the protective mucus barrier within the nose and airways.

It comes as analysis of hospital admissions found that coronavirus may be more severe in colder months than warmer ones, amid fears the virus may re-emerge over the winter.

Data from 6,914 patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 in Croatia, Spain, Italy, Finland, Poland, Germany, the UK and China was analysed as part of the study.

Researchers mapped the data against local temperature and estimated indoor humidity and found that severe outcomes – being taken to hospital, admittance to intensive care or being placed on a ventilator – fell in most European countries over the course of the pandemic, covering the transition from winter to early summer.

The study suggests there was a corresponding decrease in the rate of deaths from the disease.

Dr Gordan Lauc, the senior author of the study, said: “Our findings point to a role for seasonality in the transmission and severity of Covid-19, and also argue for increased humidity and hydration as a way to combat the virus.”