Princeton researchers report in the journal Science that the number of people still vulnerable to COVID-19 and the speed at which the disease spreads means that local climate conditions are not likely to affect the first wave of the pandemic.
Local variations in climate are not likely to dominate the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Princeton University study published May 18 in the journal Science. PEI Postdoc Rachel Baker, who led the study, and AOS Faculty Member and CIMES Director Gabe Vecchi are among the paper's co-authors.
The researchers found that the vast number of people still vulnerable to the strain of coronavirus causing the pandemic — SARS-CoV-2 — and the speed at which the pathogen spreads means that climate conditions are only likely to make a dent in the current rate of infection.