People have noticed that the coronavirus outbreaks are most common in cities in a specific temperature range (5-11C, 41-52F), and now there’s a paper (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3550308) giving more detail. We normally keep our house at ~62-68F this time of year, and I’m trying to figure out if it would be better to raise it to ~78F. The downside of heating the house is pretty low, since we mostly keep it low for cost, but it’s possible that warmer temperatures are actually better for spread?
(Another worrying aspect is that it looks like Boston will soon be entering the 41-52F range, and we already have a lot of spread.)
I’m also wondering about the optimal humidity level. Too much would encourage the growth of bacteria and mold, but if it’s too dry it might put a strain on your respiratory system and make you more vulnerable.
[Question] Should we heat our houses to ~78F to reduce coronavirus risk?
People have noticed that the coronavirus outbreaks are most common in cities in a specific temperature range (5-11C, 41-52F), and now there’s a paper (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3550308) giving more detail. We normally keep our house at ~62-68F this time of year, and I’m trying to figure out if it would be better to raise it to ~78F. The downside of heating the house is pretty low, since we mostly keep it low for cost, but it’s possible that warmer temperatures are actually better for spread?
(Another worrying aspect is that it looks like Boston will soon be entering the 41-52F range, and we already have a lot of spread.)
See also discussion of this (and related) papers here.
I’m also wondering about the optimal humidity level. Too much would encourage the growth of bacteria and mold, but if it’s too dry it might put a strain on your respiratory system and make you more vulnerable.