ArticlePloS one2022
The effect of temperature, humidity, precipitation and cloud coverage on the risk of COVID-19 infection in temperate regions of the USA-A case-crossover study.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- What is drier? Understanding humidity in green-certified dwellings: a winter case study from Auckland, New Zealand.Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand · 2025Article
- Geographical and climatic risk factors for COVID-19 in southwest Iran during the 2020-2021 epidemic.PloS one · 2025Article
- Modeling the Climatic Suitability of COVID-19 Cases in Brazil.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundObservations based on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 early into the COVID-19 pandemic have suggested a reduced burden in tropical regions leading to the assumption of a dichotomy between cold and dry and wet and warm climates.
objectivesAnalyzing more than a whole year of COVID-19 infection data, this study intents to refine the understanding of meteorological variables (temperature, humidity, precipitation and cloud coverage) on COVID-19 transmission in settings that experience distinct seasonal changes. METHODS AND
findingsA time stratified case-crossover design was adopted with a conditional Poisson model in combination with a distributed lag nonlinear model to assess the short-term impact of mentioned meteorological factors on COVID-19 infections in five US study sites (New York City (NYC); Marion County, Indiana (MCI); Baltimore and Baltimore County, Maryland (BCM); Franklin County, Ohio (FCO); King County, Washington (KCW)). Higher-than-average temperatures were consistently associated with a decreased relative risk (RR) of COVID-19 infection in four study sites. At 20 degrees Celsius COVID-19 infection was associated with a relative risk of 0.35 (95%CI: 0.20-0.60) in NYC, 1.03 (95%CI:0.57-1.84) in MCI, 0.34 (95%CI: 0.20-0.57) in BCM, 0.52 (95%CI: 0.31-0.87) in FCO and 0.21 (95%CI: 0.10-0.44) in KCW. Higher-than-average humidity levels were associated with an increased relative risk of COVID-19 infection in four study sites. Relative to their respective means, at a humidity level of 15 g/kg (specific humidity) the RR was 5.83 (95%CI: 2.05-16.58) in BCM, at a humidity level of 10 g/kg the RR was 3.44 (95%CI: 1.95-6.01) in KCW.
conclusionsThe results of this study suggest opposed effects for higher-than-average temperature and humidity concerning the risk of COVID-19 infection. While a distinct seasonal pattern of COVID-19 has not yet emerged, warm and humid weather should not be generally regarded as a time of reduced risk of COVID-19 infections.
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