Summer is here; will virus go away?

MANILA, Philippines — Summer is officially here, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

But while the announcement would usually stir anticipation of trips to the beach and long holidays, it will likely be different in this time of anguish as Filipinos grapple with the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

In a statement, PAGASA noted a shift in wind direction from the cold northeasterly to warm easterly over most parts of the country due to the establishment of a weather system called high-pressure area, which is associated with clear and sunny weather.

“With this development, the day-to-day weather across the country will gradually become warmer, though isolated thunderstorms are also likely to occur,” PAGASA administrator Vicente Malano said in a statement.

“The public is advised to take precautionary measures to minimize heat stress and optimize the daily use of water for personal and domestic consumption,” he said.

While some see possible redemption from COVID-19 in warmer weather, PAGASA’s Malano said there are no conclusive studies yet to prove this theory.

Last week, US President Donald Trump was criticized for his statement that COVID-19 would “go away” by April when weather in the US gets warmer. 

Last Monday, Bloomberg published a study uploaded to the medical pre-print server MedRxiv showing correlation between warm weather and a decrease in the transmission rate of the coronavirus.

This study observed that in climate conditions that are extremely cold or very hot and humid, the virus is “largely absent.” It said between June and September, much of Europe and North America should see a slowing rate of infections.