Will SARS-CoV-2 Become a Seasonal Virus? How to Mitigate Its Impact ?

Commentary: George Martin, MD

The emergence of COVID-19 during the winter months has caused scientists re-examine the mechanisms underlying the seasonal nature of respiratory viral infections in order to determine actionable steps to limit SARS-CoV-2 infections. The importance of temperature and humidity are highlighted in this article as factors which modulate intrinsic, innate and adaptive immune responses to viral URIs. This article provides an in-depth look at the immunology of seasonal viral infections and provides potential behavioral steps aimed at potentially mitigating COVID-19 and other seasonal upper respiratory viruses.

Moriyama M., Hugentobler W.J., Iwasaki A.   Seasonality of Respiratory Viral Infections Annu. Rev. Virol. 2020. 7: 2.1-2.19  https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-virology-012420-022445