High humidity during the monsoon season has been linked to a rapid spike in daily Covid-19 cases in at least three cities- Pune, Delhi, and Mumbai. The research was conducted at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the findings were published in the international journal, Earth Systems, and Environment.
As per a report by The Times of India, the study stated that during humidity virus particles get a medium like the water vapour droplets to stay suspended in the air for a longer time than usual whereas, drier air helps high evaporation rates of saliva contaminated droplets.
Reportedly, the researchers examined the impact of meteorological parameters during the summer and monsoon seasons from April to September 2020 on daily Covid cases in Pune, Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad, each with a distinct climate and geography.
The study found out that the rising levels of humidity were correlated with the rapidly increasing number of fresh Covid infections in Pune- a city surrounded by hills, dry Delhi, and coastal Mumbai, however, no such
correlation was found in arid Ahmedabad.
The positive correlation in Pune was found at 70, in Delhi it was 50 and in Mumbai it was at 46. The TOI report stated that no connection was found between Covid cases and daily temperatures in any of these cities.
With high rainfall in Pune, Delhi and Mumbai, the humidity spiked, on the contrary, Ahmedabad recorded relatively less than average rainfall last year, hence there was no correlation. The virus spread fast in Pune and Delhi. But, in Mumbai, which remains highly humid throughout the year, the positive correlation between humidity and Covid spread was not as much as Pune and Delhi, IITM officials told TOI.
Scientists said the virus travels with respiratory droplets, hence the association of Covid cases with relative/absolute humidity in dry regions such as Pune and Delhi could have serious implications.
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