The extreme heat that’s been making its way across the D.C. region in the last few weeks is causing many people to remain indoors, which one virus expert said is a factor facilitating the spread of respiratory viruses like COVID-19.
Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said respiratory infections are starting to increase in other parts of the country, largely driven by an increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
While the D.C. region isn’t currently experiencing similar trends, he said, “some of the early indicators, such as case positivity and some emergency room visits for COVID, are starting to tick up, so I’m guessing we’re probably also expecting a small surge coming here, too.”