Coronavirus: Could there be a second wave of the pandemic in autumn?
While the world is battling against cases of coronavirus infection, various experts are warning that Covid-19 could resurface in the autumn even if it is contained at the moment.
Most of the world's countries have been suffering the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic for some time now. In Spain, the number of positive cases of infection is now over 150,000 with 15,843 people losing their lives as a result of the virus, figures which suggest that the crisis has now reached its peak. It is a global crisis which is affecting every sector of society, health, employment and the economy. Some experts have warned that even when the current pandemic comes to an end, there could be a second wave of coronavirus infections after the summer, with the problem surfacing again during the autumn months.
Doctor Zhang Wenhong, Head of the Covid-19 Committee in Shanghai, believes there is a "big possibility" that a new epidemic could start up before the winter. That theory was echoed by Doctor Hans Kluge, Regional Director for Europe at the World Health Organization (WHO) who believes "there could be a second or even a third wave of coronavirus contagion"..
Risks of coronavirus returning in the autumn
At the moment, a large percentage of Spain's population has avoided being infected by coronavirus due to the lockdown measures enforced by the government. Those who have not come into contact with the virus this time might be most at risk if there is a second wave of infections. Much will depend on when the state of emergency is lifted in Spain and life return to normal - in other words, when people return to work, school and colleges reopen, leisure events return... etc. That is the moment when a second wave of infections could occur, Doctor Zhan Wenhong explained.
Why could coronavirus stop in the summer and return in the autumn?
According to studies on all of the known coronaviruses, if Covid-19 has similar traits, it will not be able to survive in high temperatures - some reports in China from earlier this year state that Covid-19 loses stability when temperatures rise above 36 degrees Celsius. Most of the coronavirus family flourishes in conditions of low temperatures and low humidity. Experts have advised government to use the summer months to prepare themselves in case a new epidemic appears in the autumn.
Spain, like the rest of the world, is hoping that a vaccine might be found before the event of a second wave of contagion. The WHO, in collaboration with Spain and Norway have set up the Solidarity Clinic and hope that 45 countries will join them in the search to find a vaccine and a cure for the virus to keep it under control if it returns.